Season 9-5- Mr Monk Meets Serendipity
by MonkNotJunk
Summary: Part 5 of a continuing series on the adventures of Adrian and Natalie post "the End."
1. Chapter 1

Adrian Monk was having one of his worst Mornings ever.

It began with an argument with his wife, Natalie. It was the first real shouting match in their marriage. They had argued over something simple – whether the pancakes should be cut into squares or not. He had complained that they were cut more like a convex polygon and she just exploded at him. As he thought about it now, it all seemed kind of trivial. I mean, she knew how much he required order in his life. She had been married to him for almost a year now and had been his assistant for several years. Why would she pick now to display such an inflexible attitude towards his eating habits? Still, this little spat was just the beginning.

Due to the argument, he was fifteen minutes late to his group therapy session with Dr. Bell. He had gotten to where he only needed to visit the good doctor about twice a month. But on a day like this, he really needed every minute. Adrian wanted to discuss Natalie's unreasonableness and Dr. Bell instead went off on a proverb about when he was getting his psychiatric degree and the professor wanted him to write an assignment a certain way – a way that Neven Bell did not want to. Adrian wasn't sure if the point of the story was you can't always get what you want or if it was about listening to another's point of view, and frankly he didn't care. The story took up a full five minutes of his already shortened session and just added to his frustration.

The last ten minutes were even worse. Dr. Bell informed him that in two weeks he was planning on retiring from his practice. After soaking that in, Adrian tried to reason with him. He tried tears. He tried bribery. He tried guilt. In the end, Dr. Bell indicated that he would be moving back to Tulsa where he could be near his aging siblings and an old flame of his who was suddenly single again. How audacious! What nerve!

Leaving the psychiatrist's office, he received a call from Tommy Briggs at the police station. There had been a homicide in the North Beach district and the new Police Captain Charles Keith had requested Monk's presence.

Parking his car at the crime scene, he began looking at the corpse's body which laid in the middle of sidewalk with multiple stab wounds. As he crouched down, he found half of a blood-soaked business card being clutched by the victim near his chest.

"Looks like the victim was trying to affect some sort of a business deal, got stabbed. Perp got scared and ran off." Said Adrian.

"Ran off?" asked Briggs.

"Half a card." said Adrian.

Picking up the card with his tweezers, he was going to put it in an evidence back when suddenly from out of a nearby alley ran a man with a mask on who mowed Monk over and grabbed the card. Not giving it a second thought, Adrian took chase but slipped and fell hard on a pile of dog feces when he turned a corner. At least, he hoped it was dog, not that that was all that great. With ripped trousers and poo on his leg, he became immobilized and the bad guy got away.

Keith had gotten to the scene just in time to watch it all go down. He screamed at and berated Monk.

"What was I thinking?" Keith said angrily. "Call in Adrian Monk, they said. He's a genius. They said. He'll solve the crime in five minutes flat. They said. They didn't bother to tell me that he would be such a pathetic little loser that getting a little dirt on him would cause him to allow a murderer to get away scot free."

"Sir, it was feces. Many pathogens and diseases are carried…" Monk tried to explain.

"I DON'T CARE! YOU PSYCHOLOGICAL FREAK SHOW!" Keith screamed. "A dead man lays in the middle of the street, but we may not catch the guy who did it because you're afraid of a little dog poop! Do you see the import of that, you lame brained piece of…"

"Sir!" Briggs interrupted, "Detective Monk is the most brilliant man we, or anyone else has working with them at this time and…"

"THEN HEAVEN HELP US! If _former_ Detective Monk is the best that we have, then we are doomed." He said dismissively. "Adrian Monk will never work with my force again."

"Sir!" Said Briggs.

"NO! It's over. Monk may have been good in his day, but I have zero room for the defective detective messing up our operations today. We simply can't afford to have some psychological moron on the team that allows a murderer to get away. My understanding this isn't the first time either. I heard he once let a guy climb right down a fire escape next to him because he was afraid of heights. Is that true, Monk?"

"Yes sir." Adrian mumbled.

"What was that?" asked Keith.

"Yes sir, it is true." Said Adrian.

"Retire, Monk. You're done here." Keith said as he stomped off, ordering for additional resources to come look for the perpetrator on his walkie-talkie.

* * *

Adrian walked dejectedly back to his car. Reaching in his pocket, he discovered that he couldn't find his keys. He looked in the car and found nothing. Walking back through the crime scene he traced his steps. He finally found the keys lying in the pile of poo. He used the tweezers in his pocket to pick them up and felt like he might throw up. Finding a plastic grocery bag, he placed the keys in the bag and began walking home, leaving his car at the scene. Arriving at his apartment, he found Natalie was out and his only way inside was by using one of the keys on his keychain, so he sat down on the stairs and sulked as he waited for his wife to return home.


	2. Chapter 2

Natalie was still fuming when she reached her daughter's apartment. The last time that Julie had seen her mom this angry was when Julie took Natalie's car out for a 3AM spin and wound up giving it a bath in the river when she left the brake off.

"Mom! What on earth is wrong?!" said Julie as Natalie charged right past her and threw her handbag on the table.

"THAT MAN!" said Natalie. "I can't believe it! Will he ever…Can I…Do you think that he will ever for just one moment think of someone other than himself!?"

Julie's mouth dropped open. "Are we talking about Adrian?" she asked.

She was taken aback by Natalie's mood and her attitude towards her stepfather because most of the time they were all lovey-dovey and a portrait of a couple deeply in love. And, why wouldn't they be? Their shared experiences over the past couple of years had only drawn them closer to one another – to the degree that they rarely did anything without the other present, making Julie a little concerned they were losing themselves as individuals in them as a couple. In a sense, today's display was a bit comforting to her. They were a normal couple after all (if one can be a Monk and be normal).

"Who else?" said Natalie. "Who is it that insists that when I get up that I separate my dirty clothes into three different piles, or when I get dressed that all like colors are arranged by color and the amount of closet space that it takes up? Who is it that requires that our toothbrushes all face a certain way and that our underclothes are all packed separately in individual plastic bags so that they do not touch?"

"Ummmm…TMI on the last one Mom, but that would be Adrian. You still haven't said what he did." Julie replied.

"It was the pancakes! His stupid compulsion for having square shaped pancakes. We fought over it." said Natalie.

"You fought…" that was her first surprise. "Over pancakes?" she asked.

"Yes. It was a humdinger too." Said Natalie.

"Over pancakes." Said Julie, raising one eyebrow and staring at her mom.

"Square pancakes." Natalie explained with an exasperated look on her face.

Julie exhaled. "Mom, Adrian ALWAYs has square pancakes. What was the big deal?"

"What was the big deal? The big deal, you ask?" Natalie was off again.

"Yes, what was the big deal with Adrian eating square pancakes?" asked Julie. "You knew he ate square pancakes when you married him!"

"Nothing. Nothing wrong with Adrian eating square pancakes. He can eat square pancakes until his abdomen swells into a HUGE SQUARE BLOCK for all I care! What's wrong is when he whines to his wife who got very little sleep last night that they weren't square enough!" said Natalie.

"They weren't what?" asked Julie.

"You heard me. They weren't square enough. After about three hours sleep, his wife gets up early, makes pancake batter, MAKES him the pancakes…can we use a mold for them, NO! We must take a knife…not a serated knife for it will leave ridges, but a nice sharp knife and gently cut the pancakes into perfectly SQUARED pieces of equal size and place them on Adrian's perfect plate not touching any other food lest King Adrian feel the least bit uncomfortable…Wouldn't want that…" said Natalie..

"Mom." Said Julie.

"Can't make Adrian feel uncomfortable." Said Natalie.

"MOM! Are you hearing yourself?" said Julie.

"What?" asked Natalie.

"Are you listening to what you are saying?" Julie asked.

"Why are you taking his side?!" said Natalie as her eyes got a wild look in them.

Julie just stood there, dumbfounded. Her mother had lost her ever-loving mind.

"Ummm…will you go back outside, and maybe we can start this over?" she said, leading Natalie towards the door. Pushing her out the door she said "Maybe you can tell me what is really wrong."

* * *

Outside at the Monk apartment it had begun to rain. Adrian didn't mind it so much at first because at least it was washing away what was on his clothes that he didn't want to think about. When he got inside, he planned to take a scalding shower to rid himself of all of the germs, both real and imagined, that were having a party all over his body right now.

He couldn't believe how the day had gone. Could he just get back into bed and wake up and it be a different day? First Natalie overacting to his simple request about the pancakes. Then Benedict Bell. And finally Captain Keith and losing his job as the cherry on top. If it were just himself, he actually wouldn't have minded the latter. Not working with Captain Stottlemeyer and Randy was proving to be difficult. They had a certain rhythm together where things worked well, and now that rhythm was interrupted by a loud clamorous clanging gong named Charles Keith.

Keith was young, smart, and very arrogant. He hadn't liked Adrian from the beginning and Adrian wasn't entirely sure what he had done to get on Keith's bad side. The scene at the crime scene was just one of many examples where Adrian had felt demeaned, humiliated and disrespected by Keith over the past few weeks. If he hadn't fired him, he honestly would have quit if it hadn't been for one thing – his Natalie.

Oh no. How was he going to tell Natalie? He was the primary breadwinner in the house, as he felt it should be. He couldn't tell her that he had lost his job – at least not until he found another. He had a little money in the bank that they could live off of in order to carry on the ruse, but not long term. He knew he would have to fess up. He definitely didn't want her to be in the mood she was in that morning when he told her. He might not survive! He would have to tell her soon though because they would have to cut back a bit until he got resettled. As the cold Spring rain became a torrential downpour, he sat and thought how he would break the news.

* * *

Julie made her mother some tea and encouraged her to talk about what all was on her mind. In the end, it wound up being too much bottled up worry.

She was worried about Adrian. He seemed so unhappy. Not with her, but with life in general. She suspected things weren't going well at work, but he pretty much clammed up when she wanted him to talk about it. She wanted to get back into the swing of going with him on the various cases and felt like she had developed enough detective skills to be an asset to him while he was out there, but when she asked him about it the only thing he would say was "It's different now." or "Now is not the time." This frustrated her.

She also sensed that he was a bit concerned about money. While he still wrote all of the checks, she had noticed that he was not spending money on things that he used to. He even bought generic dishwashing detergent during their last trip to the supermarket.

"So, you're worried about Adrian being unhappy and stressed, so you yell at him about pancakes to make him feel better?" said Julie.

Natalie gave sort of a blank stare knowing how ridiculous that was.

"What is it really, Mom? Remember, this is Julie. Your daughter. You can't fool me…except for Henry. You fooled me there. I should have known a fish wouldn't live until I was almost in college." She said.

Natalie looked down.

"That's it. Isn't it?" Julie said. "You're upset over what I told you on the phone last night? About me getting the scholarship to Harvard for my graduate studies."

Natalie tried to fake a lack of concern. "Oh no, honey. I'm not upset. I'm proud of you! That is such an accomplishment."

"But I won't be here in California anymore. You're afraid of losing me." Julie said.

Natalie bit her lip and her eyes whelmed up. "Well, you can't blame me for that Julie. You've been with me your whole life, and even when you've been at college, you were with me when I was at my lowest point and made sure that I got taken care of. I…I just…When I married Adrian, I felt like I had a complete family again. Adrian has always been like a father to you. He really stepped in a lot where Mitch would have been. The three of us just fit together like a hand in a glove. I thought maybe…well, I guess I just imagined that…"

"That it could be like it was when I was a teenager? But better?" said Julie.

"Yeah. I never expected you would grow up and not only leave the nest but leave the state. It's just hard." Said Natalie.

Julie came over and hugged her mom. "It's hard on me too Mom. And of course, it's hard on you. But…if I may be so bold, you shouldn't take it out on Adrian. He's been a rock for us both." She said.

"He sure has." Said Natalie. "Oh, Julie. Why did I act like such a butthead this morning! Of course he wants his pancakes square. So what!? I love his square pancakes and his wipes and his touching of every pole, even when it makes us late. With all of his idiosyncrasies, he's still the smartest and tenderest and loving man I've ever known once he lets you in. That even includes your Daddy. Mitch was brave and dashing…"

"So is Adrian, Mom." Said Julie.

"Yeah, I think you're right. But the difference is that he doesn't have the confidence in himself that your Dad did. That's why I fit in so well with him, because I can show him how wonderful I think he is…except for this morning. Oh, Julie! What have I done"?" Natalie stood up and grabbed her purse to head back out the door and home.

Julie stood and talked to her through the doorframe.

"Mom, you were upset. You're entitled. For all his adorableness, he can be a bit of a butthead sometimes too. You're human." Julie responded. "And, don't worry about me. I can come home every quarter. And, if you get too lonely for a kid, you can make a new one with Adrian." she smiled and winked.

Natalie laughed as well. "Uhhhh…yeah. Cute Julie."

Julie's eyes grew big and she gasped "Hey Mommmmmmm…you don't think you're…."

"I'm what?" Natalie answered. "Oh! No! I know I'm not. Everything on schedule and fine this month. Besides, it's not something that Adrian and I have really talked about. At my age, I'm not even sure that it would be likely to happen."

"Well, you are married, and I assume that means you are _married._" Julie said. "Maybe should have that discussion with him pretty soon. I know it's rarer at your age, but it is not impossible."

"You're right." Said Natalie. "I'll make sure I do that this week."

"Wonderful!" said Julie. "Love you, Mom!"

"I love you too, Julie. And I am so proud of you!" Natalie answered.

"I'm proud of you too, Mom." Julie smiled. "Oh, and one more thing. When you're having that conversation…if it comes up, tell Adrian I will take a baby brother."

* * *

Natalie found herself blushing at the conversation she had with her daughter, and was somewhat in a daze as she drove home in the rain. She parked the car at the side of the house, knowing they had a dinner engagement later that night. Grabbing an umbrella she rushed around the corner to avoid getting any more wet than she had to in the torrential downpour. As she approached the steps, there was Adrian, sitting quietly on the steps his head resting on a handkerchief placed over the pole to the bannister. He was curled up in a soaked ball with ripped clothing and hair that was plastered down by the rain – sound asleep.

She walked over and placed the umbrella over both of them. Leaning in she kissed him on the mouth.

"Wake up sleeping beauty." She said.

Adrian slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

"Why are you outside?" she asked. "Did you lose your keys?"

"Long story." He said. "I'm glad you're home."

"So am I. Let's get you inside." She said, helping him up and putting her arms around his waist.

"Honey, don't. You'll get wet." He said to her as they opened the door.

"I don't care. I just want to be next to you." She said as the door closed behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

Adrian walked in the door and stopped.

"Trash bag." He said.

"What?" she asked.

"Trash bag. Trash bag. Please."

Natalie went straight to the cupboard where trash bags were kept and retrieved one of the bags. She then thought about it and got a second one because she knew whatever it was, Adrian would require that it be double bagged. She returned by his side at the apartment entrance. He had already removed his jacket, shirt, undershirt, shoes, socks and belt.

"What are you doing?" said Natalie.

"Throwing away my clothes." Adrian responded.

"What? Why? We can wash those…well, the pants are ripped, so they maybe are shot but your jacket and shirt are still okay." She said.

"I don't think so." He responded. He took the bags and put one inside of the other. In went the clothing as well as a plastic grocery bag.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Those were my keys." He responded.

"Your what?" she said. "You can't throw away your keys!"

She started to reach into the bag and he slapped her hand away, also jerking the garbage bags away.

"No." he said.

"Adrian!" she exclaimed. "Those are your keys."

"Those were my keys." He replied. "I'm throwing them away."

"Like, you aren't planning on opening doors anymore?" she asked.

"Not with those." He said. "I have 10 spare keys for every key on the ring in my top dresser drawer."

"And just why aren't you using those particular keys?" she asked.

"They are contaminated. Toxic waste." He replied.

"Toxic waste." She said, putting one hand on her hip.

"Yes. The keys fell in dog poop. Now turn your head." He replied.

"What?" she said, laughing over the dog poop comment.

"Turn your head. And, close your eyes." He replied.

"For what?" she said.

"I have to throw away my pants." He said.

"You have to throw away your pants." She repeated.

"Do I hear an echo in here?" he said. "Yes, I have to throw away my pants."

"Did they fall in dog poop too?" she asked, amused.

"Yes. At least I hope it was dog." He said.

"Adrian, that's gross." She said.

"Tell me about it. Now, please turn your head and close your eyes so I can throw away my pants." He said.

"Adrian." She said.

"Natalie." He replied.

With an amused grin on her face, she complied with his wish. He took off the remaining clothes, placed them in the bags, and used the bag to cover himself as began moving towards the bathroom.

"Keep them closed." He said.

"Adrian." She replied. "I've seen you naked before."

He stopped. "What?! When!"

She replied. "Adrian. We're married….. You know."

"You looked?! I don't even look!" he replied.

"What?! You have never looked at me?" she replied.

He didn't respond but just set the bag on the floor outside the bathroom door.

As the door shut she heard him mumble, "I plead the fifth." Then a little louder. "You can open your eyes now. I'll be out in a few minutes."

She chuckled as she heard the shower faucet being turned on, then she walked over and picked up the trash bag and put it by the front door so that she could throw it away later.

Inside the shower, Adrian made the water as hot as he could stand it. As he lathered up and rinsed off he thought through the day's activities and began to be angry at how Keith had treated him. "What a jerk." He thought, but then returning to his own folly he sighed. "I am pathetic, though."

As he continued to process everything that happened, he thought about the partial business card. He remembered it said "Executive Lux…" and had a picture on it of the rear end of an automobile, the front being part of the other half of the card that was torn off. The dead guy was involved in some sort of auto sales company, or maybe repair. Luxury automobiles. Why would someone be so worried about a business card though. Someone at the company had to be involved in the death of the victim. The whole thing bugged him. But how could he investigate? He had been fired. After all this time, fired. He felt humiliated, hurt and incensed.

After 45 minutes, Natalie hollered in at him "Are you okay in there?"

"Yes. I'm fine." He replied, turning off the tap. He reached outside the shower and grabbed a large towel and wrapped himself with it from knees to waste. Getting a glimpse of himself in the mirror he thought, well, at least I'm still somewhat in shape. Maybe there is a job I could get that requires manual labor. Then he thought, who am I kidding? Frustrated, he pondered what other job he would be qualified to do. This had been him for his entire adult life – now he was going to have to switch careers mid-stream because of some arrogant jerk? The issue had him deep in thought the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

"Leland Stottlemeyer." Answered the Deputy Police Commissioner as he picked up his phone.

"Hey Leland, this is Briggs." Tommy said. "We have a little issue at the station. Keith fired Monk today."

"He what?" said Leland. "Is he an idiot?!"

"Yes. He is." said Briggs as he explained what had happened.

After listening to the whole saga, Leland shook his head. "Well, Mr. Keith is acting a bit above his pay grade. He doesn't have the authority to do what he did. I'm having dinner with Adrian and Natalie over at Ambrose's tonight. He's not fired. He's the most valuable resource we've got and has forgotten more than that nitwit knows. I'll fix it." He replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Adrian and Natalie were still fussing at one another as they walked up to Ambrose's door in matching black and brown outfits.

"You're still not going to tell me why you were so upset at me this morning? – and don't tell me it was over the pancakes." he said.

"Not until you tell me how you managed to soil your clothes today." She answered.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it." He said.

"Then, I don't want to talk about why I was upset." She responded, knocking on Ambrose's door.

"Natalie. Don't be this way." Adrian said.

"Don't tell me how to be." she said as the door swung open. She put on an immediate fake smile and said "Hi Ambro….." She stopped. A woman that neither she nor Adrian had met had answered the door.

"Hello! You must be Adrian and Natalie." said the woman who was average build and they guessed somewhere in her late 40s. "I'm Heather. Won't you come in?"

Adrian and Natalie looked at one another and walked through the door.

Ambrose was busy setting places for dinner and making sure that everything was in the appropriate order. He looked up. "Oh, hey. Adrian. Natalie. I see you have met Heather." He said as he placed the last set of silverware in its proper place.

"Yes. We did." said a confused Adrian as he watched Heather walk over and put her arm through Ambrose's.

"Heather is my fiancé." Ambrose said, nonchalantly.

Adrian stepped back a couple of steps as if he had been hit by some blow. "Your what?" he asked.

"You have a fiancé?" asked Natalie surprised with the same faked smile on her face.

"My fiancé, Adrian. And yes, Natalie. I'm getting married." Ambrose said.

"We met on the internet." said Heather. "I signed onto a forum trying to figure out how to assemble my new charcoal grill because I was having trouble following the manual. Ambrose was the administrator of the forum that day and answered the call. He was able to tell me that the company had left out a key nut and bolt set. Saved me hours of frustration."

"Heather was able to call them the next day and they overnighted the parts to her." Ambrose said.

"Thanks to your influence." She said, reaching up and kissing him.

Adrian stood speechless. This settled it. He knew now he was in some sort of dream state that placed him in an alternate universe. All he had to do was wake up and his life would be back to normal.

As he blinked hard trying to wake himself up, Natalie interrupted the silence and exclaimed, "Well that's wonderful. I always wanted to have a sister! Isn't it wonderful, Adrian!" She nudged him.

"Um. Yeah. Wonderful…" he said dazed, then shaking himself out of it. "What am I saying! This is tremendous! Congratulations, Ambrose! I'm so happy for you!"

Just then the doorbell rang. Ambrose answered this time and led Leland and T.K. into the living room which was still exactly as it was the last time that Leland had seen it that Halloween Eve, except for perhaps a few more stacks of newspapers. After introductions, and the surprise announcement, the two guest couples went into the Monk dining room and took their seats around the dinner table as Ambrose brought out a scrumptious offering of Shrimp scampi with Asparagus spears and homemade Italian bread.

As the food was consumed, the three couples made small talk about life in general and about the upcoming wedding.

"We're planning on getting married next month." said Ambrose.

Adrian was still trying to get over the first shock and blurted out "Isn't that a bit quick?"

"Adrian." Natalie elbowed him.

"Well, we've been dating for the past 5 years, so I think it's time." Said Ambrose.

"You've been dating Heather for 5 years?" asked Natalie.

"Yes. Online dating." Said Ambrose.

"Ambrose wanted to keep it our little secret. He is the most romantic man I've ever met." said Heather. "Really makes me want to swoon."

"Me too." said Adrian, wiping his mouth.

"It's going to be a destination wedding." said Heather.

Both couples looked at each other and then at Ambrose and Heather.

"Destination, wedding?" asked Leland.

"Yes, we're getting married outdoors." Said Heather. "In the back yard. We figured that we could stand on the back deck…well, Ambrose will be in the doorway... and say our vows from right there."

"Ah ha!" said Leland. "Well, I wish you both the best of luck."

"You and TK are invited." Said Ambrose. "And Adrian, I of course want you to be my best man and Natalie, would you be Heather's matron of honor?"

"We would be happy to, wouldn't we honey?" said Natalie.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." said Adrian

* * *

.

As Ambrose cleared the plates away, the couples continued to chat as they awaited a simple dessert of flan with berries. Adrian's custard, berries, and caramel were separated into separate dishes.

"Can you believe how much life has changed?" asked T.K. "I mean, when Leland came into my life I was working the appliance industry and you two guys were chasing around villains. Adrian was a brilliant but sad mess. Ambrose was just this lonely guy holed up in the house. And here we are today. Ambrose is engaged to be married. Leland and I _are_ married and he has his dream job, and you and Natalie have been all over the world, not to mention the moon, and you're still solving crimes and capturing bad guys."

"It really is amazing." said Natalie.

"Yeah. Amazing." said Adrian as his mind began to wander back to Keith.

Sensing this, Leland said "Hey Monk. Don't worry about that horse's rear end firing you today. I'm going to talk to the Mayor tomorrow. We'll take care of it."

Adrian cringed.

"Firing you?" Natalie said looking at her husband who was now shrinking away from her in nervousness. "Here comes round two", he thought.

"Uh oh. He didn't tell you?" said Leland.

"I was going to." Said Adrian.

"When?! When were you going to tell me? Adrian?!" said Natalie, raising her voice.

"W-wwwhh-when I g-got a-nother j-j-j-j-j-j-job!" he said in fear.

"What!" Natalie yelled. Picking up the caramel sauce, she dumped it into Adrian's lap. "Wrong answer!" she said as she stood up and excused herself.

"Ambrose. Heather. It has been lovely, but I need to go home. I suddenly have a headache." She said.

Adrian, a combination of embarrassed and ashamed stood up quietly, nodded his head at his brother, nervously shrugged at the Stottlemeyers and then went running after Natalie out the door.

* * *

Inside the car, all was silent on the way home. Adrian was a sticky caramel-drenched mess and Natalie's face was hot with anger. There was a lot he now wanted to explain, but he didn't dare. He had to wait until the danger of an in-car homicide had abated.

Finally, she parked the car outside of their apartment and began to cry. He hated seeing her cry and immediately wanted to reach out and comfort her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she angrily took her hand and pushed him away.

"Why don't you trust me?" she said, finally breaking the silence.

"I…I do trust you." he said.

"I used to believe that. 'I trust you with my life, Natalie.' 'I trust you with my heart, Natalie.' Was that all a lie?" she said as the hot tears flowed down her face.

"No. It's not a lie." he said. "I do trust you, with all of those things. It's just…"

"It's just what? Adrian? What excuse do you have for letting your wife find out at a dinner party that her husband, the man who is not supposed to have secrets from her, lost his job today." She asked.

He thought silently then exhaled. He would just out with it. "Natalie. I screwed up. My brain got all – whacked out. I let a murderer get away. Because of that, Captain Keith fired me. I…I was afraid…"

"You were afraid? To tell me this? Did you think I would be angry?" she asked.

"No. I was afraid that…I was afraid that you would see the pathetic excuse for a man that you married for what he really was, and that somehow this would diminish how you felt about me." He said, looking down at the floorboard. "I've always wanted to be your hero." He continued. "Today, I was anything but."

Natalie softened as she glimpsed what she had missed all day, the really vulnerable state that her husband was in. She lifted her hand and put it over the top of his own.

"Adrian. Nothing you do or say will make me love you more or less. I vowed to take you just as you were, and I knew precisely what I was getting into with that vow. I'm in this for keeps." She said. "But…if we are to make this work, we can't keep secrets from each other. We have to stop looking at the other as if we can't handle the news, and we must be open with one another. I'm guilty too. I was worried about your unhappiness at work and at Julie's news last night that she's moving to Massachusetts ,but I held it in because I didn't want to burden you. That's why I got overly upset at the pancakes. That's why I blew up at you this morning. That was wrong of me. I should have shared it with you. It's important to you too."

"Julie's moving?" he asked. "When?"

"She's packing up her apartment now. She got a scholarship to Harvard for her graduate studies." She replied.

"That's wonderful, for her. Not so good for us." He said. "Are you, are you okay?" He reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I'll be okay. I'm sad. She grew up too quickly. It's hard to let go." She replied.

"But, we'll still see her." Adrian replied. "She will visit. And we can go visit."

"I know. But, it's not exactly the same. Change is hard." She said. "But look who I'm talking to."

She looked over at his clothes which were still a sticky mess. "Did I really do that?" she said, reaching over and touching his arm.

"Yeah. Afraid you did. Almost reminded me of something Sharona…" he began to say, but thought better of it.

Natalie wasn't even mad at the comparison. She had been very tough on him today. Uncharacteristically so. "I'm sorry I've been such a pill today." She said, touching his face.

"I'm sorry I held back getting fired." He responded with a kiss.

"Okay. Fresh start then?" She replied. "Fresh ground rules? We don't keep secrets. Deal?"

"Deal." He said, kissing her again.

He pulled away, got out of the car and opened her door for her. Then, they walked arm in arm up to the front door. As they stood at the door and kissed, they didn't notice that from across the street their every move was being observed.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, the Monks were awakened by a phone call. It was Leland.

"Hellllo." a sleepy Adrian answered.

"Good morning, Monk. Just giving you your morning wake-up call." Leland said.

"My what?" Adrian said as he tried to focus on the clock. It was 7:00 AM, certainly not too early on a normal day, but that particular morning his body just wanted to sleep in.

_"Your wake-up call. I hope you and Natalie made up, because Captain Keith got a phone-call from the Mayor himself ordering him to back off and to restore you to full status with the force and to put you back on the particular case you were working on." _Leland said.

Adrian rubbed his eyes and then put his hand to the back of his neck and stretched it to the side.

Leland continued. _"He was told that he was to treat you with respect and to do otherwise would be a career limiting move. I believe the call went on for several minutes because once he hung up, Keith was considerably more humble, or I should say humbled."_

"Leland, thank you." Said Adrian. "But who wants to work in a group where someone is forced to like you? That never works. I know because that was the story of my entire time in high school."

"_He may not like you, Monk. And, you may not like him. That's neither here nor there. The mayor recognizes the city's need for your talent. There are murderers out there who will continue to hurt and kill if the force doesn't find them. There is nobody…and I mean NOBODY…who is more capable of doing that than you_." Leland responded.

"I don't know, Leland. It's different now. I don't have you and Randy to work with." Said Adrian.

"I know, buddy. It has been different for all of us. We were quite the team and we're forever going to be friends. But you are not without champions in the force. Sergeant Briggs is the one who went to bat for you. He's seen you in action." Said Leland.

"He didn't see much yesterday." Said Adrian.

_"So. You froze. You screwed up. Unfortunately, your phobias got the better of you yesterday. But that was yesterday. You have a chance to fix it today. It's a whole new day, buddy. You fell off your horse. Time to get back up, get in the saddle and ride."_ Leland responded. _"We all know you can do it. Stop listening to your most negative self."_

"I don't have another self." Said Adrian. "It's who I am."

_"No, Adrian. It isn't. I don't think you realize how much you have changed over the past few years. You are stronger than you think you are. And in spite of the unfortunate freeze yesterday, you're a different man than you were, say, ten years ago. You have always lacked self-confidence. Oh, you knew you were good at detective work, but I've watched for years as the least little thing would derail you. Fight this time. You don't want a stellar career in law enforcement to end as a result of falling in a little dog poo."_ Said Leland_. "Do you?"_

"No." said Adrian.

_"Fine. Then get your butt up out of bed and get ready. There is a briefing on that case in North Beach at 8:30 AM. You will be expected."_ Leland said.

"Okay. Thank you, Leland." Adrian responded. "You're a good friend."

Adrian hung up the phone and looked over at Natalie who had gone back to sleep. Remembering their talk last night, he decided that instead of doing what he wanted to do, which was let her get her sleep, he would wake her up and tell her about what had happened.

He shook her gently by the arm. "Sweetheart." He said.

She moaned and shifted positions.

"Natalie." He said softly. "Natalie, wake up."

She twitched her face in a cute way and then slowly opened her eyes. He smiled.

"Good morning, sweetheart." He said.

"G'morning." She said sleepily. "W-what time is it?"

"It's Seven. No. To be precise, it is seven-o-nine. Nope…sevennnnn ten." He said.

"Ah. Nice round number." She said with a smile. "What's up?"

"Leland just called. I'm back on the case. We need to get up and get ready. There is a briefing in a little over an hour." He responded.

"We?" she asked.

"Yes. We. I was thinking. Something is off right now. It's not just Keith's attitude either or not working with Leland any more. It's you." he said.

"Me?" she responded.

"Yes. I'm missing my right hand man….er woman. I'm missing my stabilizing force. I'm good at what I do out there naturally, but I'm better with you at my side. So…I'm going to hop in and out of the shower real quick and brush my teeth. If you don't mind, can you start fixing us something quick for breakfast and then we can switch places and let you get ready?" he asked.

Natalie smiled. "Sure. But, I am sorry that it won't be square pancakes this morning."

"That's fine. Or flan. I don't have an appetite for either. Some toast and maybe an egg or two would be fine. Just something to give us energy." He replied, as he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

* * *

Forty minutes later, Adrian and Natalie left the apartment and got into her car to head to the station. They would have to pick up his car later in the day from the crime scene, if it hadn't been impounded. They were oblivious that an older silver Ford sedan was following them as they drove.

* * *

Keith was cold but not insulting as Monk and Natalie walked in and took a seat. He stood before a room of officers and laid out what they knew so far about the murder case from the day before.

"Victim was a 25-year-old Hispanic by the name of Enrique Valdez. He worked at Executive Automobiles on Columbia near the Wharf, a luxury car rental service. He was a mechanic. No recent priors, though he was involved in some gang stuff when he was a teenager. Haven't heard from him since, until yesterday. We believe that he may have been meeting someone over a car rental and that something went wrong." Said Keith.

"Why would a mechanic be meeting someone over a car rental?" asked Monk.

"We don't know." Said Keith. "But, we had the partial business card at the scene…"

"He could have just been giving the card to someone as a calling card…letting them know where to find him." Said Natalie.

"That's true, Mrs. Monk." Said Keith. "But, considering that this was early in the day when Valdez was supposed to be on duty, we assumed that he was pursuing something related to the business."

"I see." She said.

"Anyway, Briggs, Monk. You are our chief investigators on the case. I want you to go back to the scene and see if you can find any additional evidence. Interview people. See if anyone else saw anything. We will work from here to hunt down Valdez's associations to see if there might be someone from his past that might want to harm him." Keith finished.

As Adrian and Natalie walked over to Briggs to leave for their assignment, Keith stopped them. "You may have friends in high places, Monk. But I will be watching you. Don't screw it up!"

"I can assure you, Captain Keith. I will be just fine and we will track down who did this." Adrian responded.

"You'd better." said Keith as he walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Lieutenant Briggs made arrangements with Adrian and Natalie to meet later in the day. He wanted to go to the Auto Rental place and talk to some of Valdez's coworkers to see if the man had any enemies.

When he arrived, he found the employees most uncooperative. Several did not speak English, and those who did, for the most part just waved him off and moved along. When the owner walked up to him, he had the distinct impression that he was talking to some sort of mafia overlord or something.

"I already talked to yous yesterday and said all I'm going to say about the matter." said Sid Angel, the facility's owner.

"Mr. Angel, we appreciate you cooperating with us, but I really need some clarification on a little bit of your statement."

"Fine. Make it Quick." He replied.

"You said that Valdez began working for you six months ago?" Briggs said.

"Yeah. That's right." He said.

"Does he have any relatives or friends that I could talk to?" asked Briggs.

"Kid didn't have any connections around here, except for maybe his girl. Josie. That's her name I think. Hey listen. He didn't talk much. So, like I told the officers yesterday, I don't know nothing else about him. He moved recently. Was supposed to give me an updated address, but never did. Shame. He was young." Sid said.

"Any idea where I can find this Josie?" Briggs asked.

"No idea. Like I said, he moved and hadn't given me his new address yet. "

"How about his old address? Maybe I can ask around." Said Briggs.

"He lived on Ellis street in the Tenderloin. Don't have the physical address and my secretary, she went home. So, sorry I can't help you any further." said Angel

Briggs walked out of the facility and took note of the fact that the entire area was walled off and blocked from public view. He thought this was odd because normally, if you had a car rental place, you would want people to see some of the merchandise. A lot about this case was odd. But, at least now he had a name. He would drive to Ellis Street and see if anyone knew anything about Enrique or Josie.

* * *

The Monks arrived at the crime scene at 9:45 AM. Natalie parked the car right behind Adrian's. Adrian walked around his car to examine it for tampering or damage and was happy to see it was fine. He touched the antenna and then joined Natalie to walk through what he had seen.

"The body was right there." He pointed to a spot on the ground where you could still see traces of blood and then proceeded to recreate the scene with words and movement step by step. " I bent over to examine the body, and noticed a torn piece of paper in his hand. It was part of a business card that was covered in blood. I used my tweezers to retrieve it and to put it in an evidence bag . As I began walking someone came from that alley over there on the right and ran me over and took the card."

"Male or female?" Natalie asked.

"Male. Tall guy. Caucasian, I think. Although, I didn't see his face. He wore a mask, but I could see his hands." Adrian responded.

"Anything special about them?" said Natalie.

"No. Nothing really." Adrian said. "He grabbed the business card from me like this….no…like this. He used his left hand. Took off in that direction…" he pointed again. "I started chasing him." Adrian said as he walked towards the corner. "He ran around the corner and…"

Looking down, Adrian could see where he had fallen before. Nothing had been cleaned up. "…Oh for Pete's sake! Have some self-respect, people!"

"It's okay, Adrian. Focus. What happened next?" said Natalie, touching his arm reassuringly.

Adrian paused, twitched, then pulled himself together. "I just stopped. I couldn't move. I was mortified."

"You didn't see where he went?" said Natalie.

"No. Pretty pathetic, huh?" he responded.

Natalie sighed. "You did the best you could at the time." Regrouping she took his hand and said, "Let's see if there is anything in the alley."

Walking across the street they walked into the alley's opening and saw a long corridor which dead ended with a brick wall at the other end.

"Dead end. So, in probability, the guy ran over here once the commotion started, maybe when the cops got here." Natalie said. "Maybe there are witnesses."

"I hope so. Let's go into some of these shops and see if anyone saw anything." Adrian said.

* * *

He held the door open for Natalie as they walked into a dry cleaner two doors down from the alley. As he did, a figure in a hoodie in the Ford slowly climbed out of the car and began moving in cat-like motion, looking around where the body was.

Inside the dry cleaner, the Monks encountered a recent immigrant from Vietnam.

"Hello, sir." said Adrian. "My name is Adrian Monk. This is my beautiful wife Natalie. I was wondering if you had a few moments to chat with us."

"Hello Mr. Monk. My name Nguyen. Pham Nguyen. You have dry cleaning?" he asked in a very thick accent.

"No sir." said Natalie. "We are working with the San Francisco police department and wanted to ask you a few questions about the stabbing that happened across the street yesterday."

"You no have dry cleaning?" the man asked.

"No. No dry cleaning." said Adrian. "The stabbing." He made a stabbing motion with his hands. "Yesterday. Did you see a stabbing yesterday?"

"Stabbing?" the man said. "No. You no have dry cleaning?"

"No sir. So, you didn't see anything?" asked Adrian.

"No. I no see anything." said the man.

"Okay. Thank you for your time." said Natalie as she moved out the door and grabbed onto Adrian's hand. Seeing her in the door, the figure in the hoodie quickly ducked inside the front entrance of an apartment building and hid, but once out of sight continued to watch the Monks.

Natalie and Adrian walked out onto the street and when they did, Natalie noticed the Sedan. She thought it looked like a car parked near their apartment this morning, but upon second thought figured there were probably a million cars like that in San Francisco. She dismissed it.

"How about the flower shop?" she said, leading him towards the next shop over.

Entering the shop they were greeted by a very friendly young woman with several piercings, black apparel and multi-colored hair.

"Welcome to Landrum's Florist. May I help you?" said the woman.

"Hi, my name is Natalie. This is my husband Adrian. We were wondering if we could ask you about the stabbing attack that happened across the street yesterday."

"Ohhhh.. wasn't that awful? You can't even be safe anywhere any more." the woman answered.

"Y-yes. It was. We were wondering if you saw anything unusual around the scene of the crime." Said Adrian.

"Are you a cop?" she asked.

"No. I'm not. I'm a private investigator." He said. "I was here yesterday with the police and there was someone who came out of nowhere and knocked me over. I was wondering if you saw anyone strange walking around here."

"Everyone is strange around here." She said, smiling. "But I know what you mean. I did see some tall guy with a shaved head and a tattoo on the back of his neck."

"A tattoo? What did it look like?" asked Natalie.

"It was of some hands." She said. "They were making some sort of gang sign. I never got into the whole gang thing so not sure which one it was. But definitely like something you would see some gang member do."

"Anything else special about him?" asked Adrian.

"His eyes. They were black." she answered.

"He had dark brown eyes." said Natalie.

"No. He had black eyes. The whites were black as well." she replied.

"His whites were black?" asked Adrian.

"Yeah. That's right. I think maybe he had tattooed those as well."

Both Adrian and Natalie cringed.

"Did you see anything else?" they asked.

"No. I got a customer, so I kinda got redirected." she answered.

"Would you be willing to talk to a police sketch artist and tell them what you saw?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah. I guess so." said the woman. "I run a business in this neighborhood. I don't want it getting overtaken by violence."

The Monks left the florist and went to a few other places but weren't able to ferret out any additional information. As they began walking back towards their cars, Adrian stopped dead in the middle of the crime scene and started to look around. He lifted his hands and began to frame each square inch of the area. Finally, something caught his eye on the sidewalk right next to the wall of an adjacent building.

"What's that?" he asked.

"What do you see?" Natalie responded.

He walked over to the object and bent down. He reached for his tweezers in his coat, and lifted the silvery object up.

"What is it?" asked Natalie.

"It's some sort of pendant or charm or something." said Adrian.

Natalie bent over and looked at the object. It was silver with pink crystals in it. "The letter S." she said, pulling out a baggie for him to put the item in. "Do you think it belongs to Valdez?"

"Well, his initials don't start with 'S' so who knows. We will hand it over to headquarters just to be sure." Adrian said.

"Sounds goo..." said Natalie standing up quickly and then suddenly going wobbly. Adrian saw her stumble. "Whoa! Natalie are you alright?" he asked.

She stood there for a second and regained her equilibrium. "I'm alright." She said. "Just stood up a little fast."

"You don't look alright" he said. "You look a little pale. Why don't we go sit down for a few."

"No. I'm fine, Adrian. Really. It's lunch time. Maybe I'm just a little hungry." She said.

"Didn't you eat some breakfast?" he asked walking with her and holding onto her arm.

"I had a piece of toast." She replied.

"That wasn't enough." Adrian said. "Let's go to that little café back on Taylor Street in Russian Hill and I'll get you anything you want."

"Thank you." She said.

"For what?" he asked.

"For worrying about me." She said as she reached up and kissed his cheek.

* * *

The Monks entered their separate cars and pulled away. About thirty seconds later, the person in the hoodie ran over to the Ford, hopped in and began tailing them from behind.


	7. Chapter 7

Tommy Briggs entered the Tenderloin district and parked his squad car somewhere along the middle of Ellis Street. There were many apartment buildings to choose from in the area and he knew without a physical street address that this might be a long search. Happily, he was wrong. As he walked along the street, a teenager of Hispanic descent on a skate board came bounding around the corner and ran into him, knocking him down.

"Hey kid. Be careful!" said Briggs.

"Sorry. Sorry man." said the boy who was about fifteen. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." said Briggs as the young man helped him up.

"You a cop?" asked the boy.

"Yeah." said Briggs, brushing himself off.

"Cool. I want to be a cop when I graduate." said the boy. "Zack. Zack Sanchez." He said, reaching out his hand to shake Brigg's hand.

"That's great Zack." Said Briggs. "I here looking for some information on a man named Enrique Valdez. Do you know anything about him?"

"Enrique. Yeah, I knew him. He used to live in those apartments right across the street with his girlfriend." said Zack.

"Josie?" said Briggs.

"Yeah. Josie Jones. She was about three years older than me. He was a bit older." the young man said. "I heard on the news last night that Enrique got killed."

"Yes. I'm trying to figure out if he may have had any enemies." said Briggs.

"None that I know of." Zack said. "He was one of the nicest guys you could meet. I think he may have been in one of the gangs several years ago, but he had cleaned up his life. He was working steady. And, he always helped out around here. Nice guy. Shame someone killed him."

"Yes, it is. Now, he moved recently, right?" asked Briggs.

"Yeah. I actually helped him pack up." said Zack.

"Any idea where?" asked Tommy.

"Some place over on Pixley. In Cow Hollow." Zack responded.

"Any address?" Tommy asked.

"Nah. I know the grocery was right around the corner." Zack said.

"That's a good lead." said Briggs. "Anything else you can think of?"

"No. Not really." said Sanchez.

"Okay. Well, here is my business card." said Briggs. "If you think of anything, go ahead and call that number. That's my cell. You can call it day or night."

"Cool. I'll do that." Zack responded.

* * *

After dropping off Adrian's car at the house, the Monks took Natalie's car to the café. Briggs called Natalie's cell phone and updated them as to what he had found thus far.

"I wonder what Valdez was doing at that end of North Beach in the middle of the day?" asked Natalie. "Could it be drugs?"

"No evidence of drugs anywhere near the crime scene. No evidence of anything, really. " said Adrian.

"Except the charm." Said Natalie.

"Yes. But we're not really sure that was even connected. It was just close by. Briggs indicated that the kid appeared to be clean. Well liked in his old neighborhood."

"I wonder why he moved." said Natalie. "The area he moved to wasn't an upgrade."

"I know. And this Josie woman. I wonder where she is today." said Adrian.

"That's something hopefully Tommy can find out for us." said Natalie, pulling into a parking spot at the café.

The Monks went into the café and ordered lunch. It was nice being together out on the streets again. It felt complete. Adrian was right. They had been together so much on investigations that to not be together now seemed off. As they enjoyed a meal, the sedan pulled into a drive thru one block over and ordered some food. Parking the car across from the café, the Monk's watcher ate and listened to music while watching the door.

After lunch, Adrian took Natalie's keys and told her he would drive. As they walked out of the café, arm in arm, Natalie noticed the Sedan again. Getting into the car, she told Adrian "Adrian. Don't look now, but I think we are being followed."

She explained about seeing the sedan at the apartment, the crime scene and now at the café so Adrian decided to try an experiment. He drove around in a somewhat haphazard manner, turning on various side streets as well as main roads.

"I think you're right." said Adrian, as he pulled up to their apartment.

The sedan parked across the street, and Adrian and Natalie decided to go talk to the person to see what it was they were up to.

"Stand behind me." said Adrian.

* * *

As they got closer to the car, the hoodied person opened the car door, looked at the Monks, and took off running down Taylor street.

Adrian and Natalie both began to chase the person who took them down the block and into an alley way. Once again at a dead end, the person hid behind a dumpster and then pushed a box of rotting food off of the top of the dumpster onto Adrian before exiting the alley. Adrian stalled as Natalie continued the chase.

Sensing she could be in danger, Adrian took off his jacket which had taken the brunt of the blow, removed his keys and anything else that was in its pockets and threw it in the dumpster. He rejoined the chase about a block and a half away from Natalie.

The lunch had given Natalie new energy and soon she was able to make up space between her and the person spying on them. Eventually the person really began to lose pace and Natalie was able to close the gap. Grabbing the back of the hoodie, she pulled the person down and to the ground. The person struggled to get away and wouldn't roll over.

Adrian finally caught up to them and breathlessly asked if Natalie was okay.

"Yeah. Help me here." she said as the rolled the person over and held them down. Natalie reached for the hood and removed it. It was a teenaged girl.

"What do you want? Why were you following us?" asked Natalie.

The girl would not answer.

"Fine. You're not going to answer, we'll have to take you to Police headquarters and have them get you to answer." Said Adrian.

"NO!" said the woman. "I can't go to the cops. We have to get back."  
"Back?" said Natalie. "Back where?"

"To my car. Please. Please don't take me to the cops. I have to get back to the car." She replied.

"You gonna tell us what you were doing?" said Adrian.

"Yeah. I'll tell you everything. Just please, help me. Don't take me to the cops. Please." The girl said.

As they walked back towards her car they asked her what her name was.

"My name is Josie. Josie Jones." she replied.

"Enrique's girlfriend." said Natalie.

"Yeah, that's right." she replied.

"Why were you following us?" asked Adrian.

"I seen you on the news.. Saw you were working on Enrique's case. Knew about you from before. You were all over TV. I can explain more later, once we get to the car." she answered.

* * *

They finally reached where she had parked the car and she went to the back seat. Taking out a cardboard box, she pulled the box out of the car and set it on the ground. As she opened the box, Natalie and Adrian looked over her shoulder and instantly understood why she was so anxious to get back to the car.

Josie reached into the box and gently picked up a baby, about 2 or 3 weeks old.

"Mr. and Mrs. Monk, this is Serendipity. I call her Seri. She is my and Enrique's little girl." Josie announced as the Monks looked at the tiny child in wonder.

After a pause, Natalie asked "Has she eaten?"

"Not for the past few hours. I was about to feed her." she said.

"Come with us. You can come up to our apartment, and we can talk there." said Natalie as she and Adrian led Josie across the street.


	8. Chapter 8

Once they had entered apartment 2G, the Monks showed Josie to the living room couch. As she took off her hoodie to prepare to nurse Seri, Adrian, realizing what was happening, became very nervous and walked quickly over to a closet and pulled out a vacuum cleaner.

"Uh…I'm going to go out and sweep the hallway…" Adrian said.

"What?" asked Natalie.

"Um. Hallway looked dirty to me." he said, "I'm going to go out and sweep it."

"Looked okay to me." said Natalie as Josie took out a nursing cloth and draped it over her shoulder.

A wide-eyed Adrian shook his head. "Uh, ummmm. No. It was definitely dirty. You two just carry on your conversation without me…I-I-I'll be right out there if you need me."

Natalie shook her head and grinned as Adrian took the vacuum cleaner to the hall and shut the door.

Josie looked at Natalie. "Is he always this nervous?"

"Always. But it's okay. You get used to it. In fact, I wouldn't trade it for the world." said Natalie wistfully. "So. You want to tell me why you were following us?"

Josie put the baby under the cloth and began to tell her story.

She took a deep breath and said, "I was there."

"Where? You were with Enrique when he was killed?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah. I was in the car. Enrique was going to talk to someone about something that he saw at the shop. He didn't even tell me what it was, but I believe something illegal was going on and he saw it." she said.

"Why wouldn't he tell you what it was?" asked Natalie.

Josie explained. "Because, he wanted to keep me out of it. I…I stole some stuff about seven months ago from a department store. I got caught and was given probation because it was my first offense and because I was expecting Seri. Ever since that time, Enrique has been very protective of me to make sure that I don't violate the probation. A baby needs her mama."

"Yes, she does." said Natalie. "So, Enrique didn't want you going to jail and hid information from you so you would not be considered an accessory to whatever was going on?"

"Yeah, that's right." She said.

"Do you know who he was going to meet?" asked Natalie.

"He didn't say. I got the impression that he was going to tell an attorney friend of his, Paul Stevens, but I'm not sure. That's not who showed up."

"Did you see who showed up?" asked Natalie.

"I'll never forget him. Tall. Skinny man. Eyes as black as coal." said Josie as tears began to fill her eyes. "He walked up to Enrique. He was wearing sunglasses at the time. I think he told Enrique that Stevens had sent him, and he pulled out a business card. When Enrique went to grab for the card, the man took out a knife and…"she started crying harder "he stabbed him. Over and over. Enrique collapsed, and the man looked around, and…" Josie bowed her head.

Natalie reached over and touched her arm. "It's okay, Josie. Please continue."

"A police siren sounded somewhere in the background and I think it scared him away. He ran over to the alley and hid. I was scared to death. I didn't dare get out of the car, so I ducked down. I didn't want him to see me."

"Of course not. Then what happened?" asked Natalie.

"It was about five minutes. Maybe ten. It seemed like an eternity. A police car did pull up. Apparently, someone had called in the stabbing. A short time later, I saw Mr. Monk arrive. I remembered him from the news and saw he was working on Enrique's case. He found the business card right away. Then, black eyes came darting out of the alley and knocked him over. He grabbed the card from Mr. Monk's hand, and looked up with those horrible, horrible eyes. I know he saw me, but, he took off running the other way. Mr. Monk jumped up and chased him. I couldn't see what happened next, but it wasn't long before Mr. Monk came back. He was very upset. Black eyes got away. Some guy in a suit started yelling at him. I heard him tell Mr. Monk that he was fired."

"That would be Captain Keith." Natalie said. "He's a jerk. But, Adrian has been rehired. You still haven't said why you decided to follow us."

"Well, I ain't got anyone to turn to. I'm a poor 19-year-old single Mom with a fatherless baby. I was too afraid to go home. I couldn't go to the cops. But then, I remembered Mr. Monk from the TV. They did a story on his life on _San Francisco Today_ after he helped nab that guy in the President's cabinet. They talked about how much of a genius he was, and how he had stayed with it for twelve years after his first wife Trudy was murdered. I…I thought maybe he might be able to sympathize somehow. I thought maybe I could ask for his help. I…I don't know what Enrique saw that got him in trouble and I don't know who did it. I'm scared to death and I will be until the murderer is brought to justice. I'm sorry if I scared you. But, I…really need your help." she said as Seri finished up. Taking her out from underneath the cloth, she laid the sleeping baby on the couch and recomposed herself.

Natalie looked at her and remembered the times where she felt so alone when she was at home with baby Julie while Mitch was at sea. Then, she remembered how hard it was to be a single mom.

"You have our help." She said. "You can stay here. This sofa folds out into a bed. You will need some things, of course. Adrian and I will go to the supermarket and get some diapers and baby stuff. Do you use formula at all?"

"I did. But, all the formula is at home. I'm just doing what God made me to do now. I…I don't want to be any trouble. I believe I'm in danger. I don't want to put you all in danger by my presence." Josie answered.

"No. You are a witness to a murder. You'll be safer here. Adrian has a gun locked up in the bedroom. He's a great shot too. We can protect you and Seri." Natalie said.

"Are you sure? I mean, what will Mr. M think?" asked Josie.

"Mr. M will do whatever I want." said Natalie with confidence.

* * *

"No! No! No! No!" said Adrian in the hallway "We cannot take in a woman and her baby. We're just not equipped."

"Adrian, she's in danger. We have a moral obligation." said Natalie.

"What moral obligation? We can't afford two extra mouths. An…an…and there isn't room for four in that little apartment. Plus, babies…babies excrete stuff…." said Adrian, getting a disgusted look on his face.

"We all excrete stuff." said Natalie.

"Yeah, but we can take care of ourselves. Babies, they are all needy and dependent. They cry all the time. They only think of themselves. They don't care about our needs at all…"he said.

"Then you'll have company." said Natalie. "They are staying."

"Natalie, be reasonable." said Adrian.

"Unless you want me to go." said Natalie. "Because I can certainly go visit my brother Jonathan until you reconsider."

Adrian stopped and looked at her, then took a deep breath.

"Fine. But you have to clean up after her. And it's only temporary." he said with exasperation.

Natalie leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

"You're such a softy." She said as she entered the apartment. "Good news, Josie…"

"I am not…a softy." said Adrian as he sulked into the room and looked down at the sleeping baby. "Though I will say, she sure is a beauty."

"Thank you. Do you want to hold her?" said Josie.

"Uh..uhhh..ummm...no. No, that's okay." said Adrian.

"Awe. Nothing to be afraid of, Mr. M. She's just a little baby." said Josie as she picked up the baby. "Uh oh."

"W-what? What's the matter?" asked Adrian.

"Looks like she's a dirty little baby. Seri, Seri...did you soil your diaper?" she said as she peaked in the baby's diaper. Adrian waved his arms around and cringed. "Yes she did...she sure did" Josie said using baby talk. "Hey, you guys got any wipes?"

Adrian said, "uh, ummm...no...we..."

Natalie rolled her eyes "Only about 500 boxes. I'll go get you some."


	9. Chapter 9

Adrian reached over a sleeping Natalie as the 7:00 AM alarm rang. It had been a difficult night's sleep, not just because of their houseguests but because Natalie had tossed and turned throughout the night and complained of being cold. The temperature in the house was 72 degrees, so he was concerned that she might be coming down with something. Nevertheless, he dutifully went to the closet and grabbed some extra blankets and held her in his arms so that his body heat would make her warm. They laid that way for several hours until his arm was asleep, and he became too warm to continue. By that point, she was sound asleep, but he was wide awake.

What were they going to do with a baby in the apartment? He remembered the time when he was watching little Tommy, and while it was a joy to have him around, he certainly wasn't ready for it. Was he ready now?

He quietly got out of bed, put on his robe and walked out to the living room. Josie was awake watching the morning news. They were talking about Enrique's death. After a couple of interviews, Captain Keith came on and was bloviating about how the force believed the slaying was drug related and that they would bring the perpetrators to justice quickly. The news anchor finished the story by flashing Josie's mugshot on the screen and saying that police were looking for Enrique's girlfriend, Josie Jones as a possible person of interest in the case.

"That's not right." said Adrian, standing next to the couch.

"I gotta get out of here." said Josie, beginning to gather some of her things.

"No. Stay." Adrian said. "You didn't do anything. You're safer here."

"But what if they come looking for me here?" she asked.

"Why would they? We have no connection with you." He said.

"True. But we're gonna have to ditch the car." she responded. "It'll lead them straight to us. Mr. M, I'm afraid for your safety. You didn't have anything to do with this. This is my mess."

"Josie. Don't worry. We'll deal with the car. I know a nice safe spot to park it. What's important is keeping you safe long enough to find the guy who did this." Adrian responded.

Suddenly, the baby began to stir. Josie moved quickly to pick her up. Immediately, Seri quietened down.

Adrian sat down on the edge of the couch and watched her. "She's so tiny." He said.

"You sure you don't want to hold her?" Josie asked.

"I-I'm afraid I'll break her." he responded.

"Nonsense." said Josie, walking the baby over to Adrian and placing her in his arms. "Now, support her neck a little more. Just like that. There you go."

The baby cooed, and then opened her eyes and appeared to smile at him. Adrian smiled back. "She's smiling." he said. He was instantly smitten.

As he held the little girl, Natalie slipped quietly out of the bedroom and watched the whole scene with a smile on her face. Despite his fear, Adrian had always been good with children. At 42 years of age, she didn't have much hope of being able to have another child, but it certainly was a beautiful sight to wake up to – seeing Adrian release all of the burden he carried every day and enjoying himself for a change.

* * *

After a shower, Adrian came out to the kitchen and saw Natalie was sitting at the table and Josie was making breakfast. Natalie had explained to her his specific food requirements, and while she thought it was unusual, Josie went to great lengths to make sure everything was just right. He walked over to the table and gave Natalie a kiss.

"Good morning, beautiful!" he said.

"Good morning, you handsome hunk of a man." She smiled. "Josie wanted to make breakfast for us this morning. It's all of your favorites."

"Oh, that's good." He said, very unsure of what he would get.

Josie walked over. "Please sit down, Mr. M." she said, as she placed a plate with bacon, one with eggs, and one with pancakes cut so square that one would have suspected that she had used a carpenter's square in making them. He was impressed.

As she went to go pour him a glass of juice, Adrian looked at Natalie and asked, "How are you feeling this morning?"

She looked at him. "Okay. A little tired."

"You're still pale." He said. "Are you warm enough?"  
"No. Still a little cold." She said.

"You're cold? I can make you some tea. That should warm you up, Mrs. M." said Josie.

"That sounds nice, Josie." Said Natalie.

Adrian took a bite of pancake and then drank a little of the orange juice. After swallowing, he said "The news had the story of Enrique's murder on this morning. They are calling Josie a person of interest."

"Oh no! What are we going to do?" asked Natalie. "Adrian. We can't send her away!"

"We're not going to." He reassured her. "It's Keith again. If he were only half as smart as he thinks he is…"  
"But, if they find her here, they will charge us with obstruction." said Natalie.

"Listen, you all have been so sweet, but I don't' want to be a burden." said Josie.

"We WON'T get caught." Adrian interrupted. "But, we have to move her car."

"Where?" said Natalie.

"I will drive it. After you eat, I need you to follow me over to Ambrose's house. His garage is empty. We can hide it there." He replied. "Josie. You need to stay here. We can't afford for you to be seen. You and Seri will be safe here."

Natalie and Adrian finished breakfast and Adrian cleaned up the dishes and loaded the dishwasher, then he got Natalie her coat and they headed out the door. On the way out, Natalie stopped and spoke with Josie.

"If you need us, my number is 555-3787. Ambrose is over in Marin county, so we may be a while. I'll also stop by the supermarket on the way back and pick us up something to eat and some things for Seri. Call me if you can think of anything else you might need."

"Sure thing, Mrs. M." said Josie as they left the apartment.

Adrian walked two steps and stopped. Turning back, he went back to the door, opened it, and walked in.

Josie was startled to see him.

"Keys." He said.

"Oh! Duh!" she replied, going to her purse and finding her keys.

He took out a tissue and took the keys from her. "Thanks." As he walked out the door, he turned around and said, "Don't forget to lock this."

"Ah. Okay. Thank you!" she said as she shut the door behind him.

He stood outside and walked no further until he heard the click of the door lock.

* * *

Josie walked back over towards the couch and had just taken a seat when the phone rang. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to it and answered.

"What did you forget now?" she asked.

There was a pause. "Excuse me. Is Adrian Monk there?" asked Leland.

Josie's mouth dropped open. "Uh…ummm….I'm sorry sir. Y-y-you have the wrong number." She said, hanging up.

Leland pulled the phone away from his face and looked at the receiver. He then went back to his phone display to see what the last number dialed was. It _was_ Adrian's house. "What on earth?" he said, as he hung up the phone.

* * *

At Ambrose's house, Natalie and Adrian filled Ambrose in on their dilemma and Ambrose happily let them park the car in his garage. They talked a little about the wedding and about Heather, and Adrian pressed Ambrose to make sure that he was doing the right thing.

"You've only known her five years." Said Adrian. "I mean, what do you really know about this girl?"

"I know I love her." said Ambrose. "And she loves me. Not everyone can be so daring as you, Adrian; but, sometimes you just have to take the plunge. I'm not getting any younger, and well…she makes me happy."

"Well…she seems nice." said Natalie.

"Yeah. But so did Jeffrey Dahmer, and Jack the Ripper, and Ghengis Khan…" said Adrian.

"Ghengis Khan seemed nice?" asked Natalie.

"Yes. I'm sure…to his people…Ghengis Khan seemed like a nice guy." Adrian said, trying to recover. "That's not the point."

"And what is the point?" said Ambrose. "Is the point that I have to stay alone and miserable because…well, that's just Ambrose? Is the point that only you can have the nice home and nice career and nice wife and I have to be the family side show – the guy who is destined to be a sad recluse?"

Adrian exhaled. "No, Ambrose. The point is…I just want you to be careful. You're important to me. You're my big brother. I don't want to see you hurt."

"I'm a big boy, Adrian. You don't have to protect me. I can make my own decisions." Ambrose responded.

Adrian smiled softly and nodded his head. "I guess this means I need to get fitted for a tux then."

"No…it's going to be very informal. Wear whatever you would wear normally. And Natalie, whatever you want to wear is fine as well." Ambrose said.

"Thank you, Ambrose." she smiled. Then, with a bit of a confused look on her face she asked. "Where's your restroom?"

Adrian looked at her because she had been to Ambrose's house dozens of times. Ambrose looked at her oddly as well.

"It's over there. Through that hallway and to the right." He pointed. "Hey Nat, you okay? You don't look so good."

As Natalie stood, so did Adrian. She was looking quite pale again.

"I'm fine. Just needed to….."she said before suddenly collapsing into Adrian's arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Leland arrived at Monk's apartment at around 1:00 PM. He had been trying to call both Natalie and Adrian's cell phones but neither one answered, so coupling that fact with the strange call from earlier, he was understandably concerned. He walked into the building and went upstairs and knocked on the door. There was no answer. He started to leave when all of the sudden, he heard the cry of an infant. He turned back around and banged hard on the door.

"Who's in there? Open up. This is the police!" he said.

Josie panicked. Grabbing a sheet, she made a make-shift baby sling and wrapped Seri up in it, then took the baby and climbed out the window onto the fire escape. As she made her way down the ladder, Leland decided to kick in the door. She reached the street and took off running just as Leland poked his head out the window. He barely saw the female figure turning the corner. Looking around the apartment, he could see that she had stayed there the previous night but he saw no sign of Natalie or Monk. There was no sign of foul play either, so he decided to call Ambrose to see if he had heard from them.

* * *

At the hospital, Adrian paced the floor and generally made himself a nuisance to the floor nurse by asking every few minutes if she had heard anything about Natalie. About 45 minutes after arriving, Leland walked into the emergency room and found Adrian sitting down with his head in his hands. He feared the worst.

"Hey, Buddy." Leland said, putting his hand on Monk's shoulder.

Adrian looked up. "Oh, no. They called you. It's bad news, isn't it? He said, running his hand through his hair.

"No. I called Ambrose and he told me what happened." Leland responded.

"Don't lie, Leland. Why would you be calling Ambrose in the middle of the day?" Adrian responded.

"Because, I had tried to call you at your apartment and got some strange woman on the other end who said that it wasn't your number. Neither you nor Natalie were answering your phones." Leland answered.

"Oh." said Adrian, trying to think of how to explain Josie.

"I went over to your place, and I heard a baby crying. Nobody answered the door, so…I kicked it in." said Leland.

"You kicked in my door?" Adrian responded.

"Yes. Nobody answered." He responded. "I was concerned something was wrong."

"You know how much it is going to cost to get the door fixed?" said Adrian.

"Would you rather I have let you lay hurt or dying inside the apartment as someone I didn't know was wreaking havoc?" Leland asked.

Adrian paused. "Doors are expensive, Leland."

"Call it a hunch, Monk. Something wasn't right. I was following up." Stottlemeyer answered. "Who was the woman? When I got into the apartment, she had just escaped with the baby down the fire escape."

"She left?" Adrian said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "She's a friend of Natalie's and mine."

Stottlemeyer narrowed his eyes. "You're letting a friend…with a baby…stay in your apartment?"

"Yes. It's just temporary. Kid fell on some hard times. We're helping her out." Adrian responded.

"There's something you're not telling me. What's the girl's name?" he asked.

"It's, J..Jo…anna. Joanna." Adrian responded.

"Don't lie to me Monk. What's going on?" said Leland.

Just then, the doctor walked out and called Adrian's name.

Adrian stood up as he and Leland walked over. "I'm Adrian. How's Natalie?"

"Mr. Monk, she's okay. We ran some tests on Natalie and found that she has syncope due to a pericardial effusion." He said.

"A what?" said Adrian.

"Pericardium. That's heart." Said Leland.

"Yes, that is correct. Essentially, she has a build up of fluid around her pericardium. There are several things which could cause this. We need your permission to perform a needle pericardiocentesis." The doctor said.

"Needles?" said Adrian. "I don't think so."

"Well, it's either that or cut her open in an very invasive procedure." the man said. "This procedure is fairly safe, although with any medical procedure there is risk. If it were to go untreated, it will no doubt progress into cardiac tamponade followed by death."

"Death?" Adrian asked, staggering backwards.

"It's a possibility. She's not close to that yet though, so we need to act now." said the Doctor.

"You said there could be several causes. Do you know what's causing the fluid?" asked Leland.

"While it could be something serious such as cancer, we've done some preliminary tests and have a few theories, all of them highly treatable. Right now, I'm leaning thyroid. Upon palpation, her thyroid is presenting as slightly enlarged. That, coupled with the list of symptoms that you gave the EMTs- the coldness, the fogginess of mind, the moodiness - makes me think something is going on with her thyroid. I've ordered a complete thyroid panel as well as some other tests and the results should be in tomorrow confirming my suspicion. Meanwhile, we have to deal with the immediate symptoms or it could be life threatening. Do we have your permission to perform the procedure?" asked the doctor.

"Yes. Of course." said Adrian.

"I'll come back out when we're done to let you know how it goes." said the doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor." Leland responded, patting Monk on the shoulder. While he wanted to know more about the guest at the Monk's house, he would not press right now. His main job was to keep Adrian from completely melting down.

* * *

Across town, Sid Angel sat in his office drinking a cheap glass of whisky and smoking a cigar while talking on the phone.

"Listen. If I tell you, I'll handle it, I'll handle it." He said.

"The way you handled Valdez's death? Killing him in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street where there were multiple witnesses…excuse me if I lack confidence in your abilities." Said the voice on the other end.

"That was Rudy. I told him to be discreet about it. He may look intimidating, but he's just another stupid punk kid." said Sid.

"And you chose him to deal with Enrique? May I remind you what is at stake here. May I remind you what will happen if we get caught?" said the man.

"I hear you. I get it. I'll deal with Rudy, you have my promise. And then, we'll deal with the girl. Who knows what Valdez told her. We can't afford the risk of her walking around and blabbing. If I have to take care of it myself, you can rest assured that she will not cause us any problems."

"She'd better not." said the voice. "Or, I will take care of you. Capice?"

"So now you're Italian?" Sid responded.

"Don't be a smart mouth. You'll wish the Italians were dealing with you if you mess this up. You have to get smarter about this. They have assigned this guy, former detective Adrian Monk to the case. If you screw it up, he will surely know. Get the slop out of your work or else."

"Want me to take care of him too?" asked Angel.

"No. You deal with Rudy and Josie. We will handle Monk." said the voice.

"Fair enough. I'll let you know when it is done." said Angel.

"No. You wait for my call. You have three days to get the job done, or I'll get someone else and it will not go well with you." Said the man.

"I'll handle it." said Sid. "Don't you worry."

* * *

Josie caught a cab and had it take her to Sausalito in Marin County. She figured that this would be far enough away from the hub of things and if she could get a hold of Adrian, maybe he could arrange for her to stay some place where she and Seri would again be safe. She kept trying his cell phone, but it was turned off. So, she found a shady spot where she could sit with the baby and just look over Richardson Bay and the city skyline in the distance while she awaited a callback.

* * *

After about an hour, the doctor came out and told Adrian the procedure was a success and that Natalie was resting comfortably. He told him that she would have to stay in the hospital for at least the next 24 hours while the line stayed in and for observation. Adrian asked if he could see her and the Doctor said he could.

Leland and Adrian walked into the hospital room and were happy to see some of the color had returned to her face. She was resting but heard them come in and opened her eyes.

"Hey…" she said softly, holding out her hand.

Adrian walked over and took her hand. "Hey. How you feeling?" he asked, bending down and kissing her forehead.

"Sleepy." she said. "Did you call Josie and let her know where we were?" she asked.

Leland furrowed his brow but didn't say anything.

"I – I will. Don't worry about anything. Just concentrate on feeling better." He responded. "Doctor thinks this is something that he can treat and that you will be okay."

"That's good." She responded. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"You didn't mean it." Said Adrian. "I'm sorry you're sick."

Natalie took a deep breath and said "that all came on so suddenly. I was with you then all of the sudden, I didn't know where I was. Hey. Before you go home, make sure you stop by the store and get some stuff for the baby as well. I have the list in my purse."

Adrian shut his eyes and then looked up at Leland. He knew he would have to explain, but simply said. "I will do that dear. You just rest. I'm going to head out right now and go get some of my things. I'll be back here tonight."

"You don't have to do that." She said.

"I want to. Just close your eyes. When you wake up again, I'll be here." He replied, kissing her hand.

"Mmmmkay." She said sleepily as she drifted back off.

Adrian got up and motioned for Leland to follow him into the hallway.

"Monk, what do you think you're doing?" Leland asked.

"I can explain." said Adrian.

"I'm listening." Said Leland.

"Let's go to your car. We can run past the store on the way back to my place to see what damage you did to my door. I'll tell you the whole thing, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else." Adrian said.

"I can't promise that, you know that Monk." Said Leland.

"I know. But, I think you will go along with it once you hear the story." Adrian said.

They got out into the car and Adrian began.

"The girl is Josie Jones, the girlfriend of Enrique Valdez." Said Adrian.

"The person of interest in his murder?" asked Leland.

"She's not the guy, Leland. She's not the guy." Said Adrian.

"But she is a fugitive from justice, Adrian." said Leland.

"Only because Keith labeled her such. They don't have anything on her because she didn't do anything. She's not a fugitive, she's a witness, and she's scared to death – with just cause. She said Enrique saw them doing something illegal at the rental shop. He was going to talk to his attorney about it so that it could be reported when he was murdered. She saw the whole thing. If they think he talked to her, then her life is in danger." He explained.

"Better reason to surrender her to custody of the authorities." Said Leland. "She can be kept safer under lock and key."

"Leland, she has a baby. About 2 weeks old. She shouldn't even be stressing this way because it isn't good for her or the child." Adrian said. "Natalie and I were protecting her. We weren't hiding her until Keith made his stupid dumb move. She's not a criminal, Leland."

"She has a record, Monk." said Leland.

"For petty theft. Nothing. She needs protection and her baby needs her. She has nobody else. That's why she searched us out. She thought we could help her." Adrian replied. "And we're going to."

"Monk, if they find out you're doing this, you'll be charged with a crime." said Stottlemeyer.

"Not the first time, Leland." said Adrian. "It's the right thing to do. Now please tell me you aren't going to tell anyone. This is only short term."

Stottlemeyer sighed. "I'll give you three days to work it out, but then we need to bring her in."

"It's a deal." said Adrian.


	11. Chapter 11

Nightfall came quickly in Sausalito, and Josie had not heard from Adrian yet. The breeze on the water was getting quite chilly, so she took off on foot back towards the center of town. The long wait had given her an opportunity to think. She wasn't sure what Enrique had gotten into, but she knew the only way that she and Seri were going to get peace was to figure out what it was and make sure that the authorities started setting their sights on the right people. Out of money, she decided to hitchhike back into town and take a risk by returning to the Monk apartment.

Adrian and Leland did the grocery shopping and visited a hardware store to get the appropriate hardware to fix his front door. The two men worked on the door with Leland doing all the heavy lifting while Adrian supervised. Leland left to make a quick run down the street to get some gas and pick up some chicken potpie for Monk. Meanwhile, Adrian took out a small suitcase and began stuffing it with pajamas, undergarments and toiletries, for his overnight at the hospital. As he was doing this, he heard a noise in the kitchen. He stopped packing, opened his closet and pulled out his gun locker, entering what was now Natalie's Birthday as the passcode. Taking out his gun, he slowly opened the bedroom door and quietly moved towards the kitchen. The room was dark, but he saw movement.

"STOP! Right where you are!" said Adrian. "I have a gun!"

Josie screamed "Don't shoot! It's me, Mr. M!"

Adrian exhaled. "Josie! Oh my goodness, you scared me." He flipped on the light. "Where did you go?"

"I had to get away when that cop showed up. They can't take me in. I didn't do anything." She said.

"I know, Josie. I know. I'm trying to head them off as long as I can, but it may be in your best interest to go ahead and turn yourself in and tell them your story. As long as you are out there as a person of interest, it's going to be dangerous for you." He said.

"It's already dangerous, Mr. M. I'm scared. I can't stay here. I can't go get a hotel. Enrique saw something and Black Eyes knows that I saw him kill Enrique. Until that gets taken care of, we're in danger." She said.

"Your safe here for the next few days, but you can't take off again. We can't protect you if you go out on your own. The cop you saw is Leland Stottlemeyer, the Deputy Police Commissioner. Aside from Natalie, he's my best friend. He's a cop you can trust, but he can't be in a position where he is aiding the harboring of a fugitive." Said Adrian. "I talked to him, and he's giving us three days to get this fixed before he's gotta pursue your arrest. It's the best we can do right now with Captain Keith on your trail."

"So, I got three days to get things righted?" she asked.

"Yes. But you're not alone. We will help you." He said.

Josie looked around. "Hey, speaking of we, where's Mrs. M?"

"She's in the hospital." Adrian said. "Doctor thinks it is her thyroid. They are running tests, but she passed out on me when we were over at Ambrose's."

"Passed out? She gonna be okay?" asked Josie.

"If it is what he thinks it is, he said it is fully treatable." Said Adrian. "Natalie is strong. She has to be okay."

Just then, they heard the door open to the hallway downstairs. Footsteps began ascending the staircase.

"Quick! Hide in the bedroom closet!" Adrian said as he went to open the door for Leland. Satisfied that she was out of the way, Adrian opened the door and in a happy but nervous manner told Leland that he was just about done packing and would be right back. He went into his bedroom and shut the door.

Josie cracked open the closet door as Adrian spoke.

"Josie, just a few quick things. We did some shopping today, so the baby should have diapers and formula and a couple of items of clothing. Food is in the pantry and the fridge. Please take note of my organizational system and follow it. DON'T open the door for anyone. Don't answer the phone unless it is from my cell phone. I expect Natalie will be released tomorrow if all goes well. We can talk more then. Keep the lights out as much as possible. We don't want to draw attention to you being up here. If you need me, call me."

"Turn on your phone." Said Josie.

"What?" asked Adrian.

"Your phone. I've been calling all afternoon and it was turned off." She said.

Adrian pulled out his cell phone and apologized. "I forgot to turn it back on in all the excitement. It is on now. Only call if it is an emergency, but if you need something don't hesitate."

Josie shut the closet door and Adrian zipped up the filled overnight bag, opened the bedroom door, and turned off the light to his bedroom.

"Ready to go, Monk?" asked Leland.

"Yes. Thank you for this, Leland." said Adrian as they walked out of the apartment and went downstairs.

* * *

Josie had watched a lot of crime shows on TV and decided to do a little amateur sleuthing by internet in the dark. She hopped on Natalie's laptop and correctly guessed the password which was Adrian1959 – his birth year. She looked up Sid Angel and used one of the background check websites to do a check on his history. Seems like Sid had a bit of a rap sheet for mostly white-collar crimes such as fraud but he also had a few arrests for assault.

Next, she looked up Enrique's attorney friend, Paul Stevens. He was clean in terms of personal crime, but when she got on the county website she stopped in her tracks.

"That's interesting." She said, making notes of what she was finding. "Oh, very interesting...That dirty..."

She worked for several hours on the project and built a pretty good catalog of who the players were and how they were related. She drew it all out on a piece of paper which she then ripped out of the pad and put in her pocket. She sat in the light of the television and mapped out a plan. It would be risky, but she truly felt that given the timelines and the danger, it was a risk she had to take.

Before she turned out the lights, she opened up the computer and began to look up legal document websites. Since there was no notary public that she could risk showing her face to, she took out her cell phone and recorded a video detailing her last wishes if something were to go wrong. Other than Enrique's car, she had no earthly possessions, nor did she have any living relatives but Seri - who was her main concern in the whole venture. Once she completed the recording, she used a USB cord and downloaded the video to Natalie's desktop, labeling it _LAST WILL OF JOSIE JONES_. She kissed her baby as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm doing this for you, Seri. I gotta make sure you are taken care of no matter what." She said as she turned out the lights.


	12. Chapter 12

The morning meeting at the hospital was short and sweet. Natalie's labs had come back and had confirmed what the doctor had suspected. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the thyroid. She was given some medication to take to protect her against further fluid buildup around her heart. She was also given instructions and information to give to an endocrinologist for an appointment they had set up for her the following week. With treatment, the doctor expected that not only would she be okay, but she would likely find some of the more negative symptoms that she had been experiencing would all but go away.

They took Natalie out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Standard protocol, they said. Adrian pulled the automobile up and helped his wife get into the passenger's seat of the car while he came around the other side and jumped into the driver's side. She still wasn't used to this arrangement. Adrian had been chauffeured around for years. Now, in his 50s, he was actually enjoying the freedom that driving his own car brought him.

* * *

Before taking off in the vehicle, he stopped and looked at his cell phone.

"I need to call Josie and let her know we are on our way home." He said.

"Okay. That's fine." Natalie responded.

"You doing okay? You still feeling good?" he asked as he dialed the phone.

"Yes. I feel fine. Thank you for asking." She responded, reaching out and holding his hand.

The phone rang in the Monk house and Josie went over and looked at the caller ID. Recognizing Adrian's number, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, Josie. This is Adrian Monk." he said.

"Hi Mr. M. I recognized your number on caller ID. How is Mrs. M?" she asked.

"She's doing well, Josie. It was the thyroid. She should make a full recovery." he responded.

"That's great!" said Josie.

"Hey Josie, I was just calling to let you know that we are about to hit the road and head towards home. If the traffic allows, we should be there in about 30-35 minutes. Do you need anything?" He said.

"No. I'm good, Mr. M. Please, take care of yourself and Mrs. M. Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine." she said.

"Will do, Josie. See you in a few." He said as he hung up.

* * *

This was the call she had been waiting for. Now that she knew they were heading home, she could spring into action. Josie bit her lip to stop the tears from flowing. It was of no use. She picked up the baby and held her in her arms and rocked her for about five minutes, crying and softly caressing Seri's head.

"Serendipity Grace, your mama's gotta go away. I hope that I'll be right back, but if I'm not, I am leaving you with some great people who will see to it that you are taken care of. Mr. and Mrs. M will treat you well and love you. I know, because they already do. They can give you what I can't, and that is a home that is safe and warm and a real family." She paused and began to weep more. "Your daddy would be so proud of you. We were supposed to be making a life together. You got robbed. We both did."

The baby started to whimper.

"Don't be sad, Seri. Be happy. All of this is for you. Nothing else really matters. You gotta be a good girl, and strong and stay outta trouble. Don't follow in our footsteps, Seri."

She kissed Seri on the head as the tears flowed down, and placed her in the box that she had been carrying her around in.

Looking at the clock, she knew she needed to move quickly. She threw on her hoodie, grabbed some money off of the kitchen counter and then went into the Monks' bedroom. Opening Adrian's closet she felt around on the top shelf. There, she found a small metal box with a combination lock. Taking it down, just as she had done with the laptop, she guessed the combination to Adrian's gun safe as having something to do with Natalie's birthday, which she had heard them speak of over breakfast the day before. She was correct. Taking the pistol out of the safe, she took several clips with her and ample ammunition to do whatever might need to be done.

She then walked over to Siri and kissed her once more. She laid a note for the Monks inside the box with the baby.

"I love you." She said before walking out the apartment door and to the street below. Hailing a cab, she asked to be taken to Columbia Avenue, near the Wharf. She had a visit to pay to Enrique's former place of employment.

* * *

Adrian parked the car, grabbed his overnight case with one hand and Natalie's arm with the other.

"I'm fine Adrian. You don't have to coddle me." She said.

"No. You just got out of the hospital. You should reserve your strength" he said, helping her through the downstairs door. He walked behind her as she climbed the steps to their apartment and then jumped ahead of her with his keys in hand. Unlocking the door, he moved quickly to support her as she entered.

"Adrian! Stop! I'm fine!" she said, shrugging his hands off of her arms.

As they entered, they both heard Seri was crying. Looking around, they saw the box and knew that is where the cry was coming from.

"We really need to get her a bassinet or something." Said Natalie. "Josie, we're home!"

Adrian looked over and the bathroom door was shut so he assumed that is where she was. Meanwhile, Natalie walked into the bedroom to get a hanger for her jacket and deposit her purse.

"Go ahead and pick her up." Natalie said as she entered the room.

"Pick her up?" asked Adrian. "Me?"

"No. Rumplestiltskin. Yes, you." She said.

"Rumplestiltskin. Seriously, Nat? You're comparing me to a little man who tricks maidens into giving up their firstborn so that he can sacrifice them?" said Adrian.

"That's not what that story was about, is it?" she asked, looking through the door as she looked for some more casual clothes to change into.

"Yeah. My mother used to read the story to Ambrose and I when we were children. She told us that if we didn't behave that she would be forced to call up Rumplestiltskin to come take us away." He said as he bent over and picked up the baby from the box, unknowingly displacing the note that was left. "She then would go into excruciating detail…OH! OH NO! OH NO!" he said in a panic.

Natalie, came running out of the room with some sweat pants in her arm.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Leaking!" he said, now holding his arms and the baby out straight in front of him.

"What?" Natalie asked.

"Leaking! Leaking! She's leaking!" he said. "Wipe! Wipe!"

Natalie looked at him like he was crazy, then just shook her head. "Give her here. You're incredible."

He handed the baby to Natalie and then shook his arms as if he were trying to shake something off of them. Walking to a drawer and pulling out a pack of wipes, he took off his shirt and threw it in the trash. As he stood in his undershirt and wiped his arms from elbow to hand with multiple wipes, Natalie laid the baby down on the couch and went to get a diaper.

"Natalie! Not there!" he said with a disgusted look on his face.

She ignored him and went on her way.

"Natalie! Ohhhhh. We have to sit there for Pete's sake!" he said.

Natalie came back into the room and yelled towards the bathroom. "Josie, where did you move the diapers to?"

There was no answer.

She walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door as Adrian watched.

"Josie?" she asked.

Nothing.

She opened the door and found the room empty.

"That's odd. You talked to her on the phone, right? And you let her know we were coming home?" she asked.

"Yeah. I did." He said.

"Did she leave us a note or anything?" she asked.

"I don't know." He said. "Go ahead and change Seri and I'll look."

Natalie sat down as Adrian walked through the room and back into the bedroom. As she finished up, she went to the box to get the baby's blanket. Simultaneously, Adrian noticed something was off about his closet. Opening the door, he looked to the top shelf and noted that his lockbox was seated at an angle.

"Oh no." he thought.

Natalie picked up the blanket and found the note. "Adrian, I have something." She said.

"I do too, I'm afraid." He said, taking the box out of the closet and placing it on the bed. As he worked the combination, Natalie opened and read the note.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. M_

_I am sorry that I wasn't here when you came home, but it has become clear to me that the cops aren't looking in the right direction nor do they care to. If Enrique's murder is going to be solved, I can't afford for them to let the evidence go cold. So, I had to leave to see if I could find something, anything, about what Enrique found that we could use to clear my name and get them pointed in the right direction._

_If I do not return, I want for you to be Seri's legal guardians. I know that you will make sure that she is taken care of and I've seen the love you have for each other and can't think of two people that would be better to leave her to. I have recorded a video will. It is on Natalie's computer. I hope we don't have to use it. But, if we do, I just want to say thank you for everything you have done. You're the best._

_Josie_

"Adrian! She's gone! Josie is gone! And I think she's getting herself into some real trouble." said Natalie.

Adrian walked out of the bedroom holding the lockbox. "You don't know the half of it." He said as he held up the empty box. "Oh, Josie. What on earth have you done?" he said, putting his hand up to his head.


	13. Chapter 13

"Lieutenant Briggs, we've got something." said police detective Kyle Garner, as he walked up to Brigg's desk.

"What is it detective?" asked Briggs.

"You're not going to like it sir." He said as he handed Briggs a stack of papers. "We've run a trace on the girl's cell phone and it seems that it has been active over the past 24 hours."

"Any idea where she was or who she was talking with?" Briggs asked.

"Yeah. Last call was yesterday in Sausalito, one of several outbound calls from her cell phone to 555-4210. The person she was calling didn't answer." Garner replied.

"555-4210. Where do I know that number?" asked Briggs.

"Sir. The phone belongs to Adrian Monk. It is his cell phone." Garner answered. "We ran a check on his landline and saw where it received a call from his cell phone this morning that lasted about 5 minutes. Sir, Monk and his wife were at the hospital this morning. Someone else answered the call from inside their house." He replied.

Briggs took a deep breath and looked at the records. He could only draw one conclusion. "Awwwe criminy! Monk! What do you think you're doing?" He shook his head, and picked up the phone to dial Leland.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Stottlemeyer, Briggs and Monk stood in Keith's office as Keith looked at the phone records.

Keith's office looked completely different from the days when Leland held it. In fact, he had so decorated it that you would have suspected it was some CEO's office and not the Captain of a San Francisco police department. Gone was the shabby desk and plain couch and coffee table. He had replaced it with beautiful leather furniture and wood paneling flanked with, not a photograph of a dream boat, but original paintings and stone carvings that looked like they should be a part of the Smithsonian and not the SFPD. This was clearly a guy whose ambitions outweighed his current rank. He had plans for sure. Probably wanted to be made commissioner someday and then go into politics was their best guess. Unfortunately, he didn't have the people skills of a politician.

"Obstruction of Justice. Aiding and abetting. Accessory after the fact." said Keith.

"What's that, sir?" asked Monk.

"Those are the crimes you are about to be charged with Monk, under the California Penal Code. I'm sure I will think of others." said Keith. "You're done. Finished. Not just with this case, but, as I had wished from the beginning had your good friend Stottlemeyer not interfered – done with the SFPD altogether. Leland, you are to stay out of this or I will make sure that you are charged as well, do you hear?"

Leland looked angrily at the floor and said "No worries here, Keith. Detective Monk is on his own."

"Detective Monk? No. No more detective. If I get even a hint that you're out there snooping around I will make sure you are ruined. Lawyer up, Monk. You're going to court. Meanwhile, Briggs, get Barnes, Armstead and Peiso in here. We have a fugitive to catch."

* * *

Adrian and Leland walked silently out into the hallway together. Stopping near the elevators, Leland finally spoke. "You realize the trouble you're in now, and why I can't help you, don't you?" he said.

"Yeah. I get it." said Adrian. "You gave us a little time to get things fixed and time isn't going to be enough."

"Listen, I gave you time to find her and get her to turn herself in. You knew where she was last night and gave her safe harbor again. You could be in some serious trouble here, buddy, and so could I." Leland responded.

"Only if she is guilty. Charges won't stick if the accused is innocent, which she is." said Adrian. "Leland, they are spending all their time looking for this poor girl, and meanwhile the real killer is out there somewhere."

"I understand that, Monk. And, I'm doing what I can on my end to try to get a little light shed in the right direction, but not at the expense of hampering a police investigation. You gotta let the system work. Hey. If she is innocent, the justice system will figure that out." Leland replied.

"Unfortunately, Leland. It is no longer that simple." said Adrian.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Adrian explained, "This morning when we were heading home from the hospital, we called ahead and let Josie know we were on our way. When we got home, there was no Josie. She had left the baby, left us a note saying she was going to try to take on the investigation herself and that she wanted us to be Seri's legal guardians and take care of her baby."

Leland stopped and thought through what Monk just said.

"Leland. She has my Beretta." said Adrian. "So regardless if Captain Kangaroo says I am on or off the case, I still have to pursue it. "

Leland put his hand up to his head and exhaled. Looking at Monk with great frustration. "Alright. Let's get out of here. I'm opening a parallel investigation. Tell me everything you know."

* * *

Across town Josie had made her way to the Automobile rental. She slipped in through a side door and hid behind some boxes that were stacked up in the corner, quietly watching them carry out operations.

There were three men currently in the warehouse section of the building where they stored the cars. Two were in charge of maintaining the appearance of the vehicles and one was a mechanic. The two maintenance guys worked for about an hour, cleaning the interiors of the cars, washing windows and then put down their cleaning cloths and clocking out for the day.

After they left, the mechanic looked around for a moment and then walked over to one of the boxes marked for "Motor Oil." Opening the box, he removed a plastic bottle from the container and then used a utility knife to slice along its seams breaking the bottle open. A small amount of oil came out of the container into a bucket he had placed near the vehicle for collection. He reached his hands inside the bottle and pulled out a bag a bit larger than a pack of playing cards and thicker. Using a shop towel, he wiped any residual oil off the bag and opened it, pulling out a box. He then took the box with him as he walked to one of the cars, opened the door, and used a flat tool to pry one of the panels away from the door. He then put the item inside the door and repeated the process four more times before closing the panel.

"Smugglers." She thought as she watched him following the process. He did this for two more cars and then placed the shop towel in a laundry bucket, clocked out, and left the building.

Josie waited to hear the door shut and then moved out from behind the boxes she was hiding behind to another box marked "Motor Oil." Using her hands, she peeled back the cardboard and pulled out a bottle of oil. Shaking it, she could tell there was something inside besides just oil. She had the evidence she needed. Placing it in the pocket of her hoodie, she turned to leave. As she did, she spotted black eyes walking out of an office on the second level. She ducked down and hid.

As Black Eyes walked down the stairs, Sid Angel came out of his two room executive suite ordering Black Eyes "You hear me Rudy? You get the girl and you make it clean this time. Not like the last time, or the next hit is gonna be you."

"So, Angel was the one calling the shots?" She thought. "And now, he was calling out a hit on her. We'll see about that."

* * *

Leland and Adrian pulled up outside of Executive Automobiles at about 5:15 PM. They parked across the street and were walking towards the building when they saw Rudy leaving the building.

"It's Black Eyes." Said Adrian.

Leland stopped and narrowed his eyes. "You stay here, Monk."  
"Leland!" Monk responded.

"Monk, if it hasn't escaped your attention, you are unarmed. This guy is armed and dangerous. You are a liability if you follow me." He said.

Adrian reluctantly agreed to stay behind.

Leland followed Black Eyes on foot and watched him go into an apartment building about a block and a half away. He decided to call Briggs to give him the heads up in case there was trouble, but gun in hand, Leland was going to move on in.

"I am just three minutes away from your location, Stottlemeyer. You wait for backup!" Said Briggs. "You know better than this!"

Leland sighed and agreed to wait. Being off the streets and at a desk job for this little amount of time was making him sloppy. He wanted to get the guy, but he didn't want to get killed doing it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Adrian couldn't stand being confined. Noticing the side door was slightly ajar, he decided to go across the street and investigate what was happening there and to see if there was any sign of Josie. He slipped into the building a few seconds after Josie slipped into Angel's executive suite.

She moved through the secretary's office and waited for Sid to finish a phone call, then, with gun drawn, she entered his office.

"Hands up where I can see them." She stated as she pointed the Beretta towards Sid's chest with shaking hands.

Sid stopped and removed a cigar from his mouth and placed it in an ash tray on his desk and then put both of his hands up.

* * *

Adrian walked quietly across the floor looking for any sign of Josie or anything that looked askew. As he stood by one of the cars, he framed the scene and noticed several empty motor oil boxes that had been cut open, emptied, then stacked one on top of the other against the wall.

"How much motor oil does a facility like this need?" he wondered. Continuing his scan of the room, he noted another box on the floor which had been torn open rather than cut. He walked over to the box and pulled out a bottle of oil. It felt heavier than he had expected. Shaking it, he heard something inside. His eye then spotted a prying tool. Walking over to the tool, he looked at the nearby car and opened the door. Looking at the side of the panel, he saw where the panel had scuff marks the size of the prying tool on the side of it.

* * *

A couple of blocks away, Briggs had arrived and he and Leland were making their way into the apartment building. As they walked in the front door, Rudy was exiting one of the apartments with a Smith and Wesson 45 in his hands.

"Police! Freeze!" yelled Briggs as Black Eyes turned and took a shot. Briggs had been grazed by the bullet, but was otherwise okay. He and Leland took off on foot and chased Rudy out the back door of the building and into a long alleyway.

* * *

Upstairs at Executive Automobile, Josie was trying to get Sid to talk.

"You ordered a hit on Enrique" she said.

"I didn't kill Enrique. You're crazy, woman." said Sid as he started to reach for his phone.

"HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" she yelled loud enough for Adrian to hear her voice.

Adrian stopped looking at the door panel and began moving towards the upstairs.

"Don't mess with me, Angel!" said Josie. "I know you had Enrique killed and I know why. You've been smuggling stuff in your cars and he found out about it and you had ol' Black Eyes take care of him. Isn't that right?" she said. "But you're not smart enough to have thought up this venture for yourself. I've seen your rap sheet. Sloppy, sloppy man. Who's your sponsor?"

"Say what?" asked Sid.

"Who's the brains behind the operation. Is it Paul Stevens?" she asked.

"I don't know who you're talking about." said Sid, at which Josie's reflexes kicked in and she shot off a round into Sid's shoulder.

Adrian went running towards office with all of his might, not even thinking about the fact that he wasn't armed. Meanwhile Sid reached down his hand to his own desk drawer and took hold of his revolver.

* * *

Simultaneously, Black Eyes had reached the end of the Alley and was trying to hop a fence.

"San Francisco PD!" yelled Stottlemeyer. "Drop your weapon, now!"

Black eyes came down from the fence and slowly turned around, lowering his gun towards the ground, then he stood up and with full force took a shot at Leland. It missed. He was met by two shots from Leland's service weapon towards his chest. Leland did not miss.

* * *

Back in the office, Sid Angel moved more quickly than Josie could react. He pulled out the revolver and shot off a round towards Josie. The blow of the bullet knocked her off of her feet and towards the ground. Monk arrived just in time to see her hit the floor, raise his Beretta, and fire off a kill shot towards Angel before shutting her eyes.

He ran over to Angel and used a pencil to remove his gun from his hand so as to secure the scene. He then went over to Josie and saw that she had a gaping wound in her stomach. Ripping off some cloth, he plugged the hole and did his best to apply pressure.

"Hang in there, Josie." He said, as he stood over her with his body weight against the wound. He pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed Natalie.

"Natalie, get an ambulance over to Executive Automobile right away. Josie has been shot." He said.

As he hung up the phone, Josie spoke softly to him. "They were smuggling, Mr. M." she said.

"Yes, Josie. I know that." He said.

"Hid the goods in the door panels. That's what Enrique saw." She said.

"I know it. Josie, reserve your strength. Reserve it for Seri." He said.

"I don't think Sid masterminded this." She said. "I think he was just one of the players."

"You may be right, Josie. We can figure that out later. Just rest." Adrian said.

She was quiet, then spoke up. "Did you see my note?" she asked.

"Yes, I saw it." He responded.

"If I don't make it. You give my girl a good life." She said.

"You're going to make it, Josie." Adrian said. "Don't talk that way."

"Promise me." She said.

"I promise. Just rest." He said to her as she drifted into unconsciousness.


	14. Chapter 14

Stottlemeyer used his cell phone to call in the shooting of Black Eyes and to ask for EMT support to come patch up Briggs. They were surprised when they saw the ambulance bypass them entirely and come to a stop a block and a half away at Executive Automobile.

"Oh no - Monk!" said Stottlemeyer, as the men took off running towards the second scene.

When they entered the building, they followed the EMTs through the warehouse and up the stairs where they saw Adrian covered in blood with his hand over Josie's stomach. He looked up them with a helpless expression on his face as they moved forward and watched the EMTs work.

They slapped a blood pressure cuff on Josie and did a reading. "BP is 70/40. Bring in the XStat." said one technician. "Sir, we're going to need you to move your hand."

Adrian lifted his hand, which was covered in congealed blood, and watched as the first EMT removed Josie's hoodie from her and set it aside. The second EMT opened a package with a large syringe looking device filled with what looked like pills. Taking the device out, he handed it to the first EMT who stuck it directly inside the wound and injected the pills into the cavity. Within seconds, the pills began to expand, plugging the entire area and halting the bleeding. They took her blood pressure again and it was holding steady, so they brought in a gurney and strapped her into it.

"Where are you taking her? And, is she going to live?" asked Adrian.

"San Francisco General Trauma Center, and I don't know sir. Excuse us." said the second EMT as he wheeled her away.

Adrian made a mental note of where they were taking her and stood up, holding his blood covered hands up in the air. Stottlemeyer picked up Josie's hoodie for Monk to use to wipe his hands on, and handed it to Monk. As Monk took the hoodie, he realized that the pockets were full.

"Wait a minute." He said. Leland just watched.

Adrian put his hand in the pocket and pulled out her cell phone, which didn't particularly impress Stottlemeyer or Briggs.

"There is something else here." Said Adrian. He stuck his hand in further and pulled out the bottle of motor oil.

"Do you have a knife?" asked Adrian. At which point, Briggs handed him a pocket knife. Adrian cut along the seams and only a little oil came out. He then reached his hand inside the cut and pulled out a small box covered in plastic. He removed the plastic and then put his hand out towards Leland who pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Monk. Monk used the handkerchief to open the box. Inside was a small stone doll or idol.

The three men looked at one another.

"What is that?" asked Briggs.

"Evidence. Lieutenant Briggs." said Keith as he walked into the room. "Stottlemeyer, Monk, I thought I told you that you were done with this case. Briggs, you're suspended. Peiso, come over here and arrest these men."

"Keith, you do not have the authority!" said Stottlemeyer. "Monk and I were attendant to this crime scene for one reason and one reason only."

"And what was that, Deputy Commissioner?" asked Keith.

"To retrieve Mr. Monk's firearm which was stolen from his apartment." said Stottlemeyer.

"Stolen after Mr. Monk voluntarily harbored a fugitive from justice in his apartment?" asked Keith.

"Mr. Monk was trying to get the girl to give herself up. Keith, she has a kid. There is a lot involved here." Said Stottlemeyer.

"That may be so, Mr. Stottlemeyer, but I explicitly ordered you both to stay out of this case. These are orders that you deliberately disobeyed." said Keith.

"Because you did not have the authority to order me, your superior, to not investigate a case." Stottlemeyer responded.

"Then I am filing a former complaint with the Commissioner." said Keith.

"You do that, Keith. In the meantime, Monk and I are leaving." said Stottlemeyer as Adrian stood up to follow him out the door.

"Leave that here." Keith ordered, pointing to the box with the doll inside. "That is evidence."

Adrian set the box down on the table and he and Leland walked out the door.

* * *

Outside the building, Monk and Stottlemeyer were walking back to Leland's car when Natalie arrived.

Breathlessly, she said "Adrian! Are you okay? You're all covered in blood! Are you hurt?"

Adrian nodded and said, "I'm fine sweetheart. Josie is hurt bad though. I'm not sure she is going to make it."

"Oh no." Natalie replied. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you all about it on the way home. I need to change out of these clothes though." said Adrian. "Leland, I want to talk with you about what just went down. Something is not right here. With Keith. I don't think that he's the guy, but something is definitely not right and we need to get to the bottom of it."

"I agree. I'll see you back at your place." Leland said as Adrian got into Natalie's car and Leland followed them to the apartment.


	15. Chapter 15

Leland followed Natalie's car as she drove, and Adrian talked all the way home. He caught her up on the what had happened with Josie, about what he had seen in the warehouse, and about Keith and his suspicions that Keith was dirty. When he finally came up for air, the baby, who was riding around in a box in the rear floorboard the whole time, began crying.

"Natalie! What do we do?" asked Adrian. "She's crying."

"Try talking to her." said Natalie as she navigated a turn on the road.

Adrian turned around in his seat and began speaking to the baby in the back seat.

"Hi Seri. My name is Adrian Monk. I'm, um, I'm looking…we're looking after you for your mother who is in the hospit…is away for right now. I'm sure she'll be back, when she gets cleared from a homicide investigation…which I'm going to do everything I can in order to crack…" he said. As he spoke the baby quietened up and appeared to smile again.

Adrian softened up. "She's smiling…" He smiled back.

"She likes you." said Natalie, as she pulled into a parking spot near the apartment.

Getting out of the car, she opened the door next to Seri's box, bent over, and picked her up. Handing her to Adrian, she grabbed her purse and shut the door. "I'm pretty sure we're breaking some laws here. We need to go out tonight and get her a car seat." Natalie said as she and Adrian, joined by Leland, walked up to the door and walked in. Adrian was no longer arguing about Seri staying with them and was very comfortable in letting Natalie dictate whatever the baby needed.

* * *

Once Adrian changed and threw away another set of clothes, the Monks and Stottlemeyer sat in the living room and began to discuss what had happened and what they had found at the scene.

"Best I can figure is we are dealing with some sort of smuggling operation. "said Adrian. "Here's what happened. Enrique was one of two mechanics at the shop. One day, while he was working on a car, he noticed something amiss. Either he saw one of the dolls or he saw someone put something in the panel of the car. Unwilling to participate in a crime, he called the lawyer friend of his, Paul Stevens, to report the crime. If he made this call from the office, Sid probably intercepted the call and may have called back to Stevens to tell him not to come. Instead, he sent Black Eyes to take care of Enrique – a hit that Josie witnessed. She is now a liability as well, so Sid ordered the hit on her."

"Only problem I see is Sid Angel is not this sophisticated." Said Leland. "Someone has to be behind him."

"I agree. Josie may have figured some of this out. I know she went to the shop in order to find some exculpatory evidence on herself." Said Adrian.

"Do you think she went deliberately to kill Angel?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know. I just don't know." Adrian answered.

Just then, Leland's cell phone rang. It was the Commissioner.

While he took the call, Natalie used the Monk's landline to call the hospital for an update on Josie. She was still in surgery.

"We've gotta get over there pretty soon." Said Adrian. "If she wakes up…"

"_If_ she wakes up? "asked Natalie.

"Yes. If. It was pretty bad, and she made me make her a promise." Said Adrian.

"What was that?" asked Natalie.

"That if she…you know, if she passed…that we would see to it that Seri was taken care of." He replied.

Natalie paused. "And what do you think about that?" she asked.

Adrian paused, "I think…"

At that moment Leland came into the room in a rage.

"Unbelievable!" he shouted.

"What?" asked Adrian and Natalie "What is it?"

"That was the Commissioner. He's not willing to stand with us. He has suspended me, with pay, until this is worked out. He is allowing charges to go through for you, Monk and for Josie, and wants you to go down to headquarters for questioning this evening." He replied.

"What kind of charges?" asked Natalie.

Leland responded, "For Adrian, it is obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact. For Josie, they are trying to charge her with Murder 1, possession of a stolen firearm, obstruction of justice, smuggling…"

"Smuggling?!" Adrian said.

"Yes. Because the doll was found in her hoodie, they are trying to link her in with the smuggling operation. Keith's back story is she and Enrique were probably both in on what happened and that this is merely Enrique and Josie not liking their cut of the deal." Said Leland.

"That's a lie." said Natalie.

"Of course, it is." said Leland. "But what's truth got to do with anything?"

"There is something here we aren't seeing. Something obvious." said Adrian. "What do we know so far. Natalie, grab me that notepad over there."

Natalie stood up and picked up the notepad and a pen.

"Here you go." She said.

"Okay." said Adrian. "Enrique worked for…" Adrian stopped.

"What?" Leland asked. "Why did you pause?"

Adrian's eyes shifted as he thought. "Natalie. Bring me a pencil."

Natalie dug through a drawer and found a pencil and handed it to him.

"This pad has been written on before." He said as he used the lead from the pencil on its side to highlight what had been written on the torn-out sheet. There were many words that he could not bring out in his efforts, but he did see Angel…larceny, 2002…P. Stevens Atty. Angel…Fraud, 2003…P. Stevens. Stevens…SF Law Association, Vice President 2009, 2010. Keith.

Adrian handed the note over to Leland who remarked. "Well, that's certainly interesting. Looks like Josie was on to something."

"It sure does." said Natalie.

"But what? What is the connection with Keith to all of this?" asked Adrian.

"Well for one, it looks like he's trying to frame her." said Natalie.

"It appears that way. But I still say, he's not the guy. Maybe this Stevens is the guy." Adrian responded.

"This thing feels a lot bigger than a young couple stumbling onto some penny ante smuggling operation." Said Natalie.

"It does." Leland agreed.

"And with Keith involved, and willing to frame anyone and everyone that gets into his way…" Natalie said.

"You have to be extra careful when you go down there for questioning." Leland said.

"Rest assured. I'll be all of those things." Adrian responded. "Somehow we have to get close to Keith to find that gap in his armor and find out what he's all about so we can figure out his vulnerabilities."

"Agreed. It's almost like you have to make a deal with the devil just to get at this guy." Said Leland. "You going to be willing to do that?" he asked.

Adrian stopped and then smiled. "No. Leland. I'm not willing to make a deal with the devil to get at Keith, but I don't think I have to. All I need is to be willing to give a humbled sinner a little space for redemption."

Leland and Natalie looked at Monk quizzically.

"Natalie, sweetheart, I need the telephone and a phone book."

She picked up both items and handed them to him.

"Who are you calling?" she asked.

He thumbed through the yellow pages and then came to the listing he was looking for. It was for the world-renowned author and almost-but-not-quite undefeated Harrison Powell.

Looking up at Natalie and Leland with a smile, he replied. "I'm calling my attorney."


	16. Chapter 16

Harrison Powell had just sat down for a late dinner when he received Monk's telephone call. Immediately, his nerves were set on end when he saw the name come up on his caller ID. After all, it was Adrian Monk, the defective detective, that had broken his winning streak when he bested him in court at the second murder trial of Powell's client, the artist and double-murderer, Evan Gilday. For Powell, a man who had been in every magazine, law journal and on the talk show circuit for his book "Undefeated", Monk's victory was particularly painful and humiliating and caused something akin to post traumatic disorder in his life - something that he was in therapy for to that day. "What on earth could he be calling for?" Powell thought apprehensively.

He answered the phone. "Harrison Powell." Trying to not betray the lack of confidence that he had when speaking with probably the greatest mind that he had ever met.

"Hello, Mr. Powell. This is Adrian. Adrian Monk. Do you remember me?" he asked.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Monk. For what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Powell replied.

Adrian explained. "Mr. Powell, I am currently in the middle of a homicide investigation involving someone who I know is innocent of the crime. Because of my close proximity to this individual, I have been implicated as an, uh, accessory of sorts. I am calling because I need your help and would like to hire you as my defense attorney."

Powell was stunned. The last time he had seen Adrian Monk, Powell had walked out of the courtroom with his tale between his legs. The last thing that he would have ever expected was for this same man to call on him as his defense. It truly was a shock and, a much humbler Harrison Powell considered, something of an honor.

"Have you spoken to authorities yet, Mr. Monk?" said Powell.

"No, sir." Adrian replied. "They want me to come down to the station and make a statement tonight."

"Okay. I don't think I have to tell you this, but you say nothing to them until your legal representation arrives – and even then, you say nothing." Powell instructed.

"Alright, I plan on going down there in about a half an hour. Are you able to make it?" Adrian asked.

"Yes. But before I do, I just have to know one thing. Why did you pick me?" Asked Powell.

Adrian paused. "Powell, when we first crossed paths you were an unscrupulous, arrogant, overconfident little cuss. Except for the unscrupulous part, so was I. I thought you would be easy pickins, but you weren't. You beat me in court - though not in fact. And then, I beat you in both court and fact. That had to have shaken your confidence. I know it did mine when you beat me. But I know now, from experience, that it's actually a good thing to have your confidence shaken every now and again. It keeps you on your toes. Keeps you sharp. So, I figured, if you were that good when wearing the blinders of self-adulation, there is a chance you're even better today. So, will you be my attorney?"

"Mr. Monk, nothing would please me more. I'm grabbing my keys right now. I will meet you at the station." He responded.

* * *

Natalie called Julie and had her watch Seri while she went to San Francisco General and waited for news of Josie. Josie had been in surgery for nearly four hours. About a half hour after Natalie arrived, a nurse came out and informed her that the bullet had entered her abdomen and that it had gone through her liver. She had lost a lot of blood and was receiving transfusions while they operated and performed a partial resection of her liver. If she was to survive, there was a high risk of re-bleeding, in addition to a higher risk of infection and other complications. From the gunshot wound alone, she should expect a longperiod of recovery, though, if things were stabilized, she could actually be released from the hospital in as little time as a week.

Natalie considered the import of what all of that meant. Josie had ahead of her not only a huge physical struggle, but now criminal charges which could bring her life in prison. Even if she managed to escape the rap, which was highly unlikely, even with Harrison Powell's expertise in the courtroom, she had no relatives, no job and no way of supporting herself and Seri. This rough and tumble girl that had made her way into Adrian and Natalie's life just a short time ago was leaving an indelible mark on their lives.

And what if she died? And what if she went to prison for a long time. What about Seri? Josie had stated that she wanted the Monks to be Seri's legal guardians and to make sure she was well taken care of. They couldn't risk sending the baby away to the foster care system. What would they do? Natalie personally had dreamed of having Adrian's child, but with her own health issues and age, this was looking less possible. She wondered what Adrian would think about adopting a baby. He had thought about it before with Tommy, but ultimately decided against it. Would time and togetherness have changed his mind?

* * *

Adrian walked into the police station and made his way through the room to Officer Peiso's desk.

"Ah, Detective Monk." Peiso said. "We've been expecting you."

Keith had not gone home yet and took that opportunity to come out of his office and taunt Monk.

"Yes, we have! I almost thought you were going to chicken out on me, Monk. Glad you did not disappoint." He said walking back into his office, he opened a box on his desk and pulled out a cigar.

"Smoke?" he asked Adrian, who had followed him into the office for the purpose of keeping him talking until Powell got there but also to snoop around.

"No, thank you. "Adrian responded. "There's no reason to stay away if you have nothing to hide."

"Monk. I don't think you know who you are messing with. I have worked far too many years to get where I am and I'm not going to let some OCD has-been get in the way of me getting where I'm going." He sat in his chair, snipped off the end of the cigar, lit it and took a puff before continuing. "You know, you slipped up when you let the girl into your house. You gave me exactly what I needed." Keith said.

"Needed for what?" Adrian said, sitting down in a leather chair and casually scanning the office, making mental notes of each object in the room.

Keith did not answer but puffed away. "Why did you not quit when you let that guy get away at the beginning of this case, Monk? Can't you see, you've lost your touch?"

"Excuse me, gentlemen, for being late." Harrison Powell said as he barged into the office. "Mr., uh…"looking at the nameplate on Keith's desk. "Keith. Mr. Keith. It is nice to meet you but, my client does not have to answer your questions, and will frankly not be doing so until I have had a chance to confer with him."

"And you are?" asked Keith.

"Harrison, please let me answer." Said Adrian. "This, Mr. Keith, is your worst nightmare."


	17. Chapter 17

"Keith's involved." said Adrian, as he and Harrison Powell sat in a late-night diner drinking coffee and juice.

"You really think so?" asked Harrison.

"Unless I'm wrong, which you know, I'm not." Adrian replied.

Harrison nodded his head in acknowledgement, knowing that if Adrian said it was so – it was likely true.

"When I went into his office," said Adrian, "It had changed. At first I didn't' notice it since he has so many bells and shiny whistles all over the place. Leather, fine furniture, artwork…but where were the stone carvings? Earlier this week, there were stone carvings. Now they're gone."

"Catch me up. What is the significance of the carvings?" asked Harrison.

"The stone carvings were ancient relics of some sort, just like the dolls – really, stone idols, that we found at the shop. I think what we are looking at is some sort of smuggling of antiquities. From what I could tell, both the dolls that we found at the shop and the stone carvings in Keith's office were Navajo or possibly Ute from around Utah – that area." Adrian explained.

"So, Keith somehow was getting ahold of these artifacts for his own personal collection and maybe you got a little too close to the truth, so he had to make sure that you were out of the picture?" Harrison asked.

"He wanted to keep me from getting close to the truth, so from the get-go, he did everything he could to kick me off the case. I don't think he's the kingpin. But, with there now being three dead bodies and a severely injured girl involved, he's in too deep. He's going to be on his guard from here on out and likely pretty dangerous." said Adrian.

"We can deal with that." said Harrison. "Now, about the case. From what I can see right now, they don't have any case whatsoever against you. To be considered guilty of obstruction, there had to be an underlying crime that you were obstructing against. When you took Josie in, she had committed no crime – only after, and at that point, you were trying to get her to turn herself in. Also, to call you an accessory after the fact is just not going to fly either. Your gun was in your safe locked up at home. The fact that she guessed your password is a fluke. Yes. She was in your home. But you had reasonable cause to believe that she was in danger, and again, were trying to work with her to get her to turn herself in. Any reasonable judge will throw these charges out at hearing."

"That's great. What about Josie?" he asked.

"Josie is a different story. Their most serious charge is Murder One. To be able to make that stand, they have to prove that she did what she did with malice aforethought, and that there were special circumstances. I believe what they are going to try to say is that she took your gun down to the automobile place and lied in wait for her victim to be alone before deciding to take him out. The police reports indicate that she took the first shot, but it was merely a shoulder wound. Sid Angel immediately shot her back. This case is going to be more difficult simply because the evidence is pretty clear. She had means, motive and opportunity. Nevertheless, I think we can show that she also had a genuine fear for her life that had some merit to it. Now, the prosecutor is going to say that she had a duty and obligation to allow the cops the chance to handle that, and they are right. There is no way she should have gone down there by herself. So, I think we're looking at a possible plea bargain taking her down from first degree murder to voluntary manslaughter with imperfect self-defense. She will still do time, but it won't be a life sentence without parole." Said Harrison.

Adrian stopped and thought. "How much time is she looking at?"

"Three, six, or 11 years for the manslaughter charge alone. Smuggling, I doubt they can prove anything. There is no evidence. Obstruction, a year or so. Possession of a stolen firearm, which she then used in an assault, at least a year. Possibly 7-15 years in prison, with the possibility of parole at some later date if she keeps her nose clean." Said Harrison.

Adrian sighed. Poor Josie. What a sad set of events she had ahead of her.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Josie's surgery was finished and she was resting peacefully in ICU. Natalie quietly went in to see her and spoke to her just in case she could hear. She wanted her to not have any worries in terms of Seri and to just concentrate on getting well.

"Hey Josie. This is Natalie Monk. You've been through quite an ordeal, but I wanted to let you know that the two guys directly responsible for Enrique's death are themselves dead. You don't have to worry about them anymore. You also don't have to worry about Seri. Adrian and I have her and will take good care of her. She's such a little sweetie. We love her already. Anyway, I wanted to tell you all of this so that you didn't worry about anything. You just need to concentrate on healing now. You've been through some major surgery, but you're still here. You've been through a lot and you're a survivor. Continue to fight, Josie… Adrian and I will continue to fight for you."

* * *

Natalie left the hospital at about 1AM. She was exhausted, having barely enough strength to function after her own ordeal. When she arrived back home, Julie had gone home and Adrian was sitting on the sofa with Natalie's laptop trying to make it do what he wanted it to do.

"Hey babe." She said softly. "What are you looking at?"

Adrian looked up through his reading glasses, something that was a new accessory that he availed himself of only when absolutely necessary, and said "I'm trying to do some research. Josie was on to something, and I'm trying to follow that trail. How are things with you? How is Josie?"

"She made it through surgery okay, and she's resting. She's very pale though. Lost a lot of blood. Doctor's say she is going to have an uphill struggle if she makes it." Natalie responded.

"She's got an uphill struggle legally as well." Adrian said. "Harrison thinks he can get my charges dropped at the pre-trial hearing. But Josie is looking at a sentence of up to 15 years in prison."

"Nothing Harrison can do to get her off?" she asked.

"No. Harrison is not the same unscrupulous guy that he was several years ago. That's made him a better attorney in that he is more honest about the facts. Josie did some things that she shouldn't have done. There _are_ certainly extenuating circumstances, but not enough that a jury trial would just let her skate. He's expecting a point where we will have to negotiate for a lesser sentence. It's either that or she spends life in prison." He replied.

"So…that leaves Seri without a mother or a father in either case." Natalie replied.

"Yes. It does." Adrian said. He inhaled and then slowly exhaled and looked Natalie in the eyes. "Unless…"

"Unless?" Natalie said, hoping he was thinking what she was thinking.

"Unless, we want to be her parents." Adrian continued.

"Do you mean adopt?" asked Natalie.

"Yes. If Josie is willing, which I think she will be." He replied.

"That's a big step." Natalie said. "You think you're ready for that?"

Adrian sat back and thought quietly about that question before answering.

"Years ago, when we hadn't known each other long, little Tommy came into our lives. I guess he's a teenager now. But, at that time I really grew to love the fellow and considered adopting him then. Ultimately, I felt like my own mental hang-ups would prove to be detrimental to his life and I had to choose to let him go. I know you saw that at that point too. I could barely take care of myself. What was I going to do with a kid? I feel different now. I feel more steady on my feet, and, well, I wouldn't be doing it alone. I have you, and I've already seen what a wonderful mother you are. I have one more session with Dr. Bell tomorrow. I think I'm going to talk to him about the future and get his opinion on whether or not he thinks I can handle being a father." Adrian said.

"I think that is a good idea. For my part, by the way, I think you would make an outstanding father. I am so proud of how far you have come and what you have achieved." She said.

"Thanks to you." He replied.

"No. It wasn't me. It was you, Adrian. Somewhere along the line, you changed. You decided you were not going to stay stuck in the unhealthy rut that you were in for so many years and you were going to start making healthy decisions. And you've just blossomed." She replied.

"I feel like I've grown." He answered.

"You have, sweetheart. And I am so very proud of you." She replied.

He smiled, put down the computer, and took her by the hand.

"I'm proud of you as well. It's getting late. Why don't we head to bed?" he suggested.

"Works for me." She smiled, reaching forward and kissing him softly.

* * *

In his office, Charles Keith sat at his desk illuminated only by a small desk lamp, taking one more swig of his drink and staring at papers concerning the case. He was frightened. Monk was simply not going away and now he had this world-renowned attorney representing him. He knew what he had done was illegal and could likely not only cost him his job but merit him some time in prison if he were to be convicted, but he did not know what to do about it. He couldn't kill Monk or Natalie. That would be too obvious at this point and would likely draw attention directly to himself. Yet, he couldn't back away. He had to face Monk in court and hope that a jury saw things his way. He would use his influence to ensure that they got the judge of his choosing, Nigel Sallinger – also known as the hanging judge, to try the case. It was his only hope.


	18. Chapter 18

"Adrian, I guess this is it." said Dr. Neven Bell as he sat in the familiar arrangement across from his star patient. "Our last session after eight years together. Have you forgiven me yet?"

"Truthfully? No." said Adrian.

Neven smiled. "You will. In due time. You will. It's just the change, the unknown. That's what is hard."

"No. That's not it." Said Adrian.

"Oh?" asked Bell.

"No…. It's the goodbye. That's something I've never gotten used to, nor do I want to get used to it. It's knowing that my appointment time is going to arrive and…my friend, Dr. Bell is no longer going to be there." Adrian replied. "That's what's hard."

Neven sat quietly and thought about that. "Well, if it is any consolation. I'm going to miss you too. You are probably the most interesting and unique person I've ever known in my life. Quite an inspiration. And, I consider you a friend as well...Perhaps our paths will cross again. But…enough about that. Please, let's not waste the session with sentimentality. What do you want to talk about? Your childhood? Your phobias? A case?"

"Fatherhood." said Adrian.

"Fatherhood?" asked Neven. "You want to talk about your father?"

"No." Adrian replied. I want to talk about being a father."

"To Julie?" asked Neven.

"No. I want to talk about whether or not you think I'm ready to be a father. If, for example, Natalie and I were to adopt. Do you think I am capable of being a father to a baby? Mentally. Do you think I could handle it?" Adrian said, fidgeting with the hem of his jacket.

"What do you think?" asked Neven.

"I-I-I guess, I don't really know. Eleven years ago, when I sat with Dr. Kroger over the thought of adopting a little boy - Tommy, Tommy Grazer - I said that he could do a lot worse than having me as a father. Dr. Kroger agreed. But then I went on to try to give him an example of worse fathers the best thing I could come up with is if he were adopted by wolves. Dr. Bell. I ranked myself on the adoptive parent scale just above wolves! Is there any hope?" Adrian replied.

"Adrian. Where was your life eleven years ago?

When I met you just eight years ago you were consumed with a need to find Trudy's killer and a never-ending mourning of her death. You had so wrapped yourself up in the fact that Trudy loved you that when she died, your sense of happiness and self-worth was buried with her. It took you years to dig out from underneath that, and even with years of counselling and the help of people like Sharona and Natalie, you've never had the confidence to see yourself the way everyone else does. Everyone close to you that is.

Adrian, you're the opposite of the emperor with no clothes. Whereas the emperor thought he was dressed in fine apparel that only the smartest and most competent of people could see, and he was really walking around stark naked, you think you have nothing to clothe yourself with but are walking around in the garments of a Prince. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Um, actually…I stopped listening when you said nnnnaked." said Adrian.

Bell chuckled, then said seriously, "Adrian Monk, you are a brilliant man full of gifts. You see things that nobody on this earth can see – and yet you've never been able to accurately see yourself. I suppose it comes from your unhappy childhood. Your mother was never able to show love towards you and your father abandoned you. You grew up feeling unloved and unlovable. That's why when Trudy came along and truly did love you that you so threw yourself into the relationship that the real Adrian Monk disappeared and was redefined as the relationship with Trudy. When you went to Berkeley, you felt special because your identity was wrapped up in Trudy. And when you lost her, you lost all sense of who you were. You lost that love which made you feel alive. Your sense of self-worth was buried in the grave with her.

It has taken you many years to get to the point where you can look at another person and have a loving relationship with them. But, it took this many years for a reason. You see, you had to first recover Adrian, before you could discover Natalie. And now, here you are in your fifties, for the first time having a truly healthy love relationship. You've learned to give of yourself without losing yourself – the one quality you have lacked all along when it came to the question of your qualifications to be a father."

"So, you're saying, it might be possible?" asked Adrian.

"I'm saying that eleven years, or eight years, or even five years ago you were not ready. But today, I believe you are. Congratulations, Adrian! Do we know if it is a boy or a girl?"

* * *

Natalie stood in the kitchen making Seri a bottle on the stove and humming to herself a little tune. As she took the bottle out of the water with a potholder and set it out the counter, she closed her eyes and indulged in a little fantasizing about a life of glee with Adrian and Seri. In her fantasy, she imagined herself in a Donna Read style outfit and pictured Adrian coming home from a hard day at work with a coat draped over one arm, a suitcase in his hand, and a fedora on his head. He dropped his suitcase and coat on the couch and came over to her for an passionate embrace next to a bassinet holding their baby girl.

As she continued her daydream, the real Adrian slipped quietly into the apartment with a bouquet of flowers. Seeing her standing there with a grin on her face and her eyes closed, he decided to sneak up on her and kiss her on the cheek. It was a bad move. The moment Natalie felt his lips touch her cheek, she whirled around and started beating him with the potholder which in turn caused him to drop the flowers on the floor. He bent down to pick up the flowers and Natalie bent over to try to help. Instead of accepting her help, he stood up quickly and his head collided with her head causing both of them to fall flat on their butts on the ground. So much for being romantic.

As they sat on the floor holding their heads Adrian held up a disheveled bouquet of flowers, some broken, and said "Honey, I'm home."

Natalie looked at the flowers, looked at Adrian and then they both started laughing harder than they had in a long time. He got up on one knee and then stood and took her by the hand so that she could stand as well, and then they fell into a tender hug.

* * *

Just then, the phone rang. Adrian sighed, walked over, and answered.

"Hello?" he said.

"Adrian, it's me, Powell. Just got word that they have officially filed the charges for you and for Josie. Obviously, she can't go down to the station and get booked, but they would like for you to come down there this afternoon for fingerprinting and to have your picture taken."

Adrian shook his head. "Any idea which judge is going to be assigned this case?"

"Yeah. Judge Sallinger." said Powell.

"The Hanging Judge, Judge Sallinger? That's just great." Said Adrian.

"Adrian, don't worry. I think I can get him to hold off on trying you based upon the fact that the prosecution has not established any crime was committed at the time you took Josie in. With any luck we'll get them to drop all charges at the pre-trial. Meanwhile, I would like you to meet me down at the station around 3PM. Again, you don't talk to them without me present and you treat them as if they are out to get you, because some of them are. You are Adrian Monk the defendant not Adrian Monk the detective today. I need you to put on your most compliant and least controversial face as we navigate through this viper's den."

"Alright Harrison. I will follow your instructions. And, I'll meet you at the station at three." Adrian said, hanging up.

* * *

Natalie walked over to Adrian and showed him her repair job on his bouquet of flowers. Every flower was cut perfectly evenly and there was an even number.

After looking at the flowers, he joked"Are these for me or for you?" and then he kissed her.

Looking up at him she asked "Was that Harrison?"

"Yes. They are going ahead with the charges against me and Josie. They want me down for fingerprinting and a mugshot at 3PM. Harrison will join me there." he said.

Natalie shook her head and sighed. "I can't believe what a creep this Keith guy is. Josie is there barely clinging to life and this goon has to kick her when she's down – and then you, all you were trying to do was your job and help someone who needed help and what's he do? Incredible."

"It really is. But, I don't want to talk about him right now." Adrian said. "I want to talk about my session with Dr. Bell."

"You want to talk about your session? Really?" she asked.

"Yes. I asked him about whether or not he felt that I was ready to be a father." He said.

"And?" she asked.

He paused then said, "He said yes!"

Natalie smiled from ear to ear and threw her arms around him. "See honey, I told you that you were ready!"

* * *

At 3PM, Monk and Powell showed up to the station. Thankfully, they didn't run into Keith. Adrian was booked and fingerprinted and stood in front of a board and had his mugshot taken. After this, he was released on his own recognizance. A clerk took the data from the booking and entered it all into the database for the State of California's penal system to schedule Adrian for his arraignment. From the moment it was entered into that system, a whole other chain of events was kicked off that would prove life altering for the Monks.


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning, Adrian Monk's day did not start out the way that he had expected. He got up as usual at 7:30 AM, hopped in the shower, and got dressed all in time for an 8 o'clock breakfast. Natalie was busy feeding Seri, but had made him a light meal. He hurriedly ate his food and kissed Natalie before heading out the door to meet Harrison for some last-minute preparation for his arraignment.

Harrison's contacts had been busy. They had interviewed various people and had found witnesses who would testify on Adrian's behalf concerning the lack of prior relationship between Monk and Josie, as well as his lack of motive to assist her in any extraordinary way.

The two men did a brief walk-through of what to expect. The actual arraignment would start at 4:30 PM and would be somewhat routine. Adrian would enter the court. The judge would read the charges. The judge would ask Adrian how he wanted to plea, and after he pleaded "not guilty" to all charges, Harrison would ask to approach the bench and present his argument for dismissing the case. If that was denied, then a pre-trial hearing would be scheduled where Harrison would present his counterevidence to show that there was no probable cause and try again. If that was denied, it would go to a trial by jury which he was confident he would win.

After the meeting, Adrian felt somewhat revived. He was ready to fight for justice and was glad to have Harrison Powell on his side. Secretly, he was looking forward to a trial because if he had to go before the jury, that meant Powell would have the opportunity to cross-examine Keith. If he didn't have to go to trial, then he knew Powell would get him at Josie's trial. In either case, it was a thought which entertained him to no end - to think that Charles Keith was going to be made mincemeat in court someday soon.

Leaving Powell's office, Monk walked through an alleyway towards his car which was parked in a back lot. He had to go pick up some accessories for Ambrose's wedding reception and then planned to drop off some dry cleaning. He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize it, but he was being followed from behind as he walked. When he reached the end of the alley a black SUV pulled up and blocked his progress. He turned to go the other way but was stopped by two men dressed in black who took him by the arms and walked him towards the car.

"Mr. Monk don't make this difficult. Get in." said a man from inside the vehicle.

The two men shoved Adrian into the back seat and the SUV sped off.

* * *

At the hospital, Josie was sleeping sound. There was a 24-hour police guard outside her door now that charges had been officially filed against her. Powell would have to work the case without her, which was a little difficult since he didn't even have her testimony. But already, he had begun to form a sympathetic story to tell to the jurors and he was feeling good about their case.

* * *

Natalie had gone over to Julie's to help her with packing and then Julie was going to drive her to her first appointment with the endocrinologist. Already, the medication that she was put on at the hospital had made a difference in her energy, which was a good thing if she planned on becoming Seri's mother. She could only imagine what it was going to be like in the house with Adrian and a toddler.

* * *

Police Commissioner Joe Carlisle called Leland into his office at 10:00 AM.

"Leland. Glad to see you. I received a call today from the Mayor and with charges now being pressed against Jones and Monk, he considers the case well enough along that you can rejoin us on active duty."

"Really? That was quick." Said Leland.

"Yes. It was. But you are a valuable asset here, and well, when city hall talks, I listen. Go ahead and return to your desk. I have a stack of cases that need to be gone through and distributed to the appropriate people."

Leland stood there and looked at him.

"Any questions, Leland?" asked Carlisle.

"No. No sir. I will get right on it." He replied.

* * *

Adrian was taken to a building on the edge of town that looked like an abandoned warehouse. Just seeing the place made his hair stand on end. Nobody had said a word on the drive over and he couldn't help but fear that he was about to be "disappeared." His only thoughts were on Natalie. He did not want her to experience any sadness. What if he never saw her again? With each step, his thoughts grew darker and darker. Was this the end?

* * *

Natalie's endocrinologist was an Asian woman named Lisa Weng and she was one of the best out there. She reviewed Natalie's charts and gave her concurrence as to the diagnosis of Hashimoto's. But, given where her TSH, Free T3, and T4 levels were, she expressed confidence that not only could the disease be controlled, but that she could be somewhat back to normal in a few months. She prescribed levothyroxine for her and suggested that she go on a gluten free diet which is something that some felt was helpful.

"If your symptoms get any worse or if you have any questions, please call or text me." she told Natalie. "It may take a few tries to get the dosage exactly right, so don't hesitate to let me know."

Natalie indicated she would, and then she and Julie went out to lunch.

* * *

Adrian was walked into a dark office with a wooden desk and tall leather chair placed at one end. Someone was in the chair, but the person's back was to him. They sat Adrian on a four-legged stool in the middle of the room underneath a floodlight that was suspended by a single chord that hung from the ceiling. All Adrian could think about the scene was of Clockwork Orange and imminent torture.

The doors to the warehouse were shut and locked tight as armed men stood guard making sure nobody would come in or go out. Adrian's stomach tightened with anxiety to the degree that he felt a panic attack coming on.

"Here's Monk." Said one of the men to the person behind the chair. "Is there anything else you need?" he asked.

The person said nothing, but Adrian could see part of a sleeve waving the man away. Who had kidnapped him and what did they want? He would soon find out as the chair slowly turned around and his mouth dropped open.

* * *

Leland went back to his desk. His mind was not on the stack of paperwork that Carlisle had left for him on his desk. Rather, all he could think about were the visitors that he had encountered on the way home from the Monk's house the night before last. He was startled, of course, by their presence. Who expects to be approached that late at night by strangers. But he was even more troubled by the message they relayed. Things were certainly about to get interesting.

* * *

At 4:25 PM everyone was at the courthouse except for Adrian. Julie was watching Seri as Natalie paced and tried to reach him on his cell phone. Leland stood by and tried to remain cool. Powell was noticeably on edge.

"Where is he?" said Harrison. "Is he normally late like this?"

"Never." said Leland.

"Maybe he had car trouble?" suggested Julie.  
"Wait. I did see his car behind my practice before I left." Said Powell. "But I didn't see him. If he was having trouble, why would he not have stopped back in?"

"Oh no! Something has happened!" said Natalie, beginning to panic herself.

Just then, the door swung open and in walked Adrian, full of energy and with a smile on his face.

"Are we ready to get this show on the road?" he asked, using his finger like a pistol when he spotted Leland.

Leland breathed a sigh of relief and had a slight grin.

"Oh, Adrian! I was so worried!" said Natalie.

"Worry about him later, Mrs. Monk. It's 4:29 on the nose. We've got to get in there. Judge Sallinger doesn't take it well when people are late to his court." said Powell.

* * *

The group filed into the courtroom as did a couple of people from the press who were there to cover the case. On the right side facing the judge was the Prosecutor, Gregory Hook, a well-respected member of the legal community. On the other side sat Adrian next to Powell. All of Adrian's entourage sat immediately behind them.

At 4:30 PM, the doors to the judge's chambers opened and Judge Sallinger came out and took his seat.

He picked up a folder on his desk and read a few words and then looked up. His demeanor was rather gruff, and Adrian could tell he was a no-nonsense kind of guy. But, he did not sense that the man was corrupt.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Mr Monk, before we begin I just want you to know that I have watched your work for many years. Thank you for a job well done." He began. Adrian nodded, and Powell sat up straighter.

Sallinger continued, "That said, it appears that we are here today because the prosecution has found cause to file charges against you, Mr. Monk. You are being charged with Obstruction of Justice in the case of a Miss Josie Jones, as well as being an Accessory after the Fact in the same case. Now, I see you have legal representation here…hello again, Mr. Powell." He said.

"Yes sir." said Adrian as Powell nodded in acknowledgement.

"Excellent choice." said Sallinger. "So, you are aware of your rights and the seriousness of the charges which are before you?" he asked.

"Yes sir." Adrian responded.

"Very well then, may I ask what your plea to these charges is?" he asked.

Powell picked up his papers and started to say "may I approach the bench?" but only got out a "May I…" when Adrian calmly looked at the judge and said, "Guilty sir. I plead guilty to both charges."

The room sat in shock and Powell asked "Adrian, what are you doing? "as the press corps took Adrian's picture. Adrian's only response was "we'll talk later."

"Really?" asked Sallinger. "Did I hear you right? Did you just plead guilty to both sets of charges?"

"Yes, sir. I did." Asked Adrian.

"And you did this of your own free will and weren't threatened or coerced?" asked Sallinger.

"That is correct." Adrian responded.

"Okay. You realize that this eliminates your right to a jury trial and the other consequences of this plea, correct?"

"Yes, your honor. I do." said Adrian.

"Very well then. Then let it be recorded that the defendant has pleaded guilty to both counts. Sentencing is suspended pending review and the outcome of Miss Jones' case. Court is adjourned."

Adrian looked sheepishly at Natalie and at Powell as they gathered their things and started the walk out. Leland held the door for them and nodded at him. As they walked, Powell broke the silence. "Monk, you're going to have to explain this one to me. If I'm going to be your attorney, then we can't have little stunts like this."

"Harrison. Don't worry about me." Adrian said. "I am not going to keep you on as my attorney. I want you to concentrate on Josie's case right now. I will explain more later, but for now, keep your eyes on that ball."

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
